B.C. NDP Leader Adrian Dix.Chad Hipolito for The Globe and Mail
These are good times for B.C. NDP chief Adrian Dix.
The party he has led since last April is ahead in the polls, media reviews of his first full legislative session as leader were positive, and last week Mr. Dix hooked a whopper of a political fish, the just-retired, popular, ex-mayor of Port Moody, Joe Trasolini.
Not only is Mr. Trasolini a good bet to win the coming by-election in Port Moody-Coquitlam, no one's ever mistaken him for a left-winger.
The fact he chose to run for the NDP, despite a previous history of support for and support from former riding MLA Christy Clark, who now just happens to be premier, speaks volumes about the success Mr. Dix has had shedding a reputation he had in some quarters as a prickly, strident leftist.
The just-concluded legislative session showed a different Mr. Dix than many expected. He was measured, pointed in his criticism, supportive of Liberal legislation that made sense, and effective.
His performance frustrated those on the government benches, who had hoped to contrast a personable Premier against a dour Mr. Dix. It didn't happen.
Instead, the Liberals were left railing against a long-ago misdating of a key memo by Mr. Dix while working under then-NDP premier Glen Clark, a serious mistake he has acknowledged many times, and launching overheated, rhetorical attacks against the NDP leader that barely registered.
In an end-of-session interview on Voice of B.C. with host Vaughn Palmer, Premier Clark was still at it, referring to Mr. Dix as "a very fierce – some would say an angry – guy. You can't underestimate the power of that fury."
But should the Liberals continue to punch away at a figure that may not be there anymore? As one long-time media commentator observed: "Adrian's grown up, politically."
At the same time, Mr. Dix has stopped the NDP's internal bleeding.
Only a year ago, knives were out on both sides of a bitter quarrel over the leadership of Carole James. Mr. Dix was a strong supporter of Ms. James, but when she was eventually forced out, he campaigned successfully to replace her.
Afterwards, Mr. Dix reached out to the so-called "Baker's Dozen", as the dissidents were known, and today, the party's once-fractious caucus is as united as it's ever been.
When Mr. Dix was chosen new leader of the NDP, Liberals were privately elated, figuring Christy Clark's brand of personality politics would make mincemeat of him on the hustings.
While the next election is still 18 months away, those one-time Liberal huzzahs are sounding more and more hollow with each passing day.