The B.C. NDP's new leader Adrian Dix says he's ready to take on the B.C. Liberals in an election, whenever one is called, but first he wants to defeat the HST in the coming referendum.

"I think people in this province are aching for change, for a real agenda of change, and that's what the NDP is going to provide," said Dix on Monday morning.

Dix said the party is now focused on taking on Premier Christy Clark, who took over from former premier Gordon Campbell after he was forced to step down over his mishandling of the HST.

"You bet we're going to holding them to account. That's our job as opposition," said Dix.

Dix wasted no time in attacking Clark, who he says made life worse for British Columbian children while she was minister in the children and families and education portfolios.

But he said he thinks it is important that HST referendum go ahead before any general election is called. The referendum will be held in June and July with a mail-in ballot.

During his leadership campaign Dix promised to roll back corporate tax cuts, to restore a minimum tax on banks and to increase support for students and seniors, if elected.

"You're going to see a positive campaign that's going to get people who didn't vote in the last election to vote. I think that's how you do it," he said.

Dix won the party leadership Sunday evening on the third round of voting, replacing former leader Carole James, who was forced to step down following a bitter dispute within the party over her leadership.

After the vote, James said she doesn't dwell on her departure, and said Dix needs to focus on uniting the party and letting voters know the NDP is ready to take over from the three-term Liberal government.

No snap election

On Monday morning Premier Clark also said she doesn't want to call an election until after the HST referendum, saying she'll give Dix some time to find his feet as leader of the opposition.

"I think we should probably give their leader a little bit of time to take stock and maybe relax a little bit," said Clark.

Clark recently called a byelection in Vancouver-Point Grey so she can seek a seat in the legislature, but has yet to say if she plans to call an early election or wait until 2013 for the next scheduled election.

Clark offered her congratulations to the new leader, who she says did work hard for the job, but she signaled her strategy will likely also be to portray her opponent as representing the politics of the past, whenever the next election is held.

"There is now a very clear difference between what we're about, which is change, and looking forward and doing things differently, and what they're about, which is really I think going backwards," said Clark.

B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Barry Penner also passed on his congratulations to Dix, but in the same breath, criticized Dix for touting the NDP policies of the past.

It was a thinly-veiled reference to Dix's previous job as chief of staff to former NDP premier Glen Clark, who was forced to resign after he was charged in a casino scandal.

Clark was later acquitted and has gone on to a successful career with iconic B.C. billionaire Jimmy Pattison.

Leaders share similarities

SFU Political Science professor Doug McArthur says while each leader has their own ideological bent, they also share some significant similarities. Both are about change, and ultimately both are pragmatists, he says.

"So, we are going to see not a radical division left and right, but we are going to see a bit of a division around visions of the future and relationships with some people and groups," said McArthur.

McArthur says he knows from his past government experience that Dix is a fiscal conservative who understands his social agenda will carry a cost, a cost he sees being recovered by reversing corporate tax cuts.

But as for being an extreme left-winger, McArthur says the label doesn't fit for Dix, in his estimation.

"I think this has been a spin by the Liberals — an exaggeration," he said.

McArthur says what B.C. does have is two activist politicians who aren't afraid to mix it up with lively public debate.

"We may see a lot of fairly honest, open debate here between the two of them about the directions they want to go. It's going to be I think a more active political time and they will both be feisty and that maybe good for B.C. politics," said McArthur.

With files from the Canadian Press