VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC NDP leader Adrian Dix will deliver a speech to the BC Federation of Labour Convention in Vancouver today.

University of the Fraser Valley political science professor Hamish Telford says Dix will have to choose his words carefully.

“He has a fine line to walk because he obviously needs their support financially and at the polls, so he has to indicate the NDP is the party of labour,” Telford says.  “On the other hand, as he has been doing all along with NDP supporters, he has to downplay expectations and stress the fiscal cupboard is bare.  He won’t be breaking open the bank to reward everybody if the NDP forms a government.”

Telford says Dix also runs the risk of being attacked for being anti-business if he comes off as too friendly in his address.

“This Premier is a fierce partisan and she’ll jump on anything she perceives will give her party a slight advantage,” Telford says.  “But Mr. Dix is a very careful politician and I think at this event he will be extremely careful, knowing full well what the pitfalls will be.”

As Dix is speaking, BC Finance Minister Mike de Jong will be releasing a second-quarter update on BC’s economy.

Yesterday the premier warned the update won’t be pretty, but she still insists a balanced budget will be delivered.