The longer the provincial NDP delay the upcoming leadership race, the more likely Skeena – Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen is to throw his hat in the ring.
In fact, Cullen said timing may be the biggest factor in his eventual decision.
"With work doing at the federal level, dropping everything is just not an option ... I'm House Leader of the Official Opposition, I have a lot of campaigns that I'm doing in the region, like the LNG tour, and my responsibility is to people work for. It is also a lot to ask my family to drop everything and get into another campaign," he said.
"That has become an important thing for me and my family."
But just as much as the timing affects him personally, Cullen said a delay in holding the leadership race would show the party is serious about its future.
"From the party's perspective, you need time to really get the renewal people have been talking about, and there have been a lot of people talking to me about it. Holding the leadership race soon is also going to limit the number of candidates, and you want to have a wide field of people involved," he said.
"If you hit the panic button and try to get things done in a rush, you won't get that renewal."
Earlier this month, Cullen went around to communities in the riding to discuss a possible run at the provincial leadership and said the response was split, with some wanting him to make the jump to provincial politics and just as many wanting him to stay at the federal level.