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VICTORIA – John Horgan would often say he believed most people in British Columbia were New Democrats deep down but they just didn’t know it yet.

Horgan, Canada’s ambassador to Germany and a former NDP premier who formed a minority government in 2017, winning a majority three years later with a snap election call at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, died on Tuesday after his third bout with cancer.

He was 65 years old.

Horgan served as B.C.’s New Democrat premier for five years before stepping down in 2022, and was then appointed ambassador last year.

But in June, Horgan announced he was on leave from his diplomatic post after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

His family issued a statement on social media saying he died peacefully Tuesday at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

“The well-being of British Columbia and everyone in it was everything to him. He was surrounded by family and friends and love in his final days.”

Horgan is survived by his wife Ellie, and sons Evan and Nate.

Premier David Eby said Horgan brought the party from the “political wilderness” and 16 years in opposition to the government for the first time in a generation.

“I think for many British Columbians, he made them think differently about politics and about politicians. He was accessible. He was fun and funny and, he was called “Premier Dad,” and rightly so for myself, he was a coach and a mentor. He was an inspiration to me,” Eby told reporters at the legislature. “He had advice when I needed it.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that he was saddened to learn of the death of Horgan, a man who “tirelessly advocated for workers.”

“John was a firm believer in the ideals of public service. He saw it as a privilege, as a way to help others and make our country better. At every opportunity he was given, he served Canadians with a tenacity, passion and dedication that very few could match,” Trudeau said in the statement.

Horgan, who served five terms as a member of the provincial legislature, resigned his suburban Victoria seat in March 2023, citing health reasons after receiving more than 30 radiation treatments to battle throat cancer.

Just six months into his appointment as ambassador, Horgan announced he had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer after a routine checkup in Berlin for his previous throat cancer.

Horgan had been successfully treated for bladder cancer in 2008.

“I am on leave from my position at the embassy and in hospital receiving immunotherapy to treat this new thyroid cancer,” Horgan said in a statement. “It is the third instance of cancer I have had but I remain confident and hopeful that I will again live long and prosper.”

The “live long and prosper” comment revealed the former premier’s sense of humour was intact, as was his love of science fiction and the TV series “Star Trek.”

Political scientist Hamish Telford, who teaches at the University of the Fraser Valley, said Horgan accomplished a rarity in politics: he left office more popular than when he was first elected.

Horgan will be remembered as a leader whose eight years at the helm of the B.C. New Democrats managed to elevate the party to a pragmatic and steady political force that voters could support after almost 20 years in opposition, said Telford.

“Against the odds, he succeeded and governed for five years and if it wasn’t for his health I’m sure he could have kept on governing,” Telford said. “He went out more popular than when he came in. That is an extraordinary feat for any politician.”

The grief of his loss was evident in the hallways of the legislature on Tuesday.

Ravi Kahlon first worked as a staff member for Horgan and then in his cabinet.

“People appreciated John, they appreciated the way he handled being premier, the way he handled fighting for issues in communities and that’s going to be,” he said, pausing as his voice cracked with emotion. “It’s a sad day.”

Solicitor General Mike Farnworth worked with Horgan for more than three decades, and said he left office while he was “incredibly popular” right across the political spectrum, respected by his colleagues and his fellow premiers.

“I think of someone who really loved this province and really loved the people of this province and was a wonderful friend,” Farnworth said.

“Whether you agreed with his politics or didn’t agree with his politics, he just had this ability to connect with people.”

Horgan, known before becoming premier as a take-no-prisoners, often angry opposition politician, transformed into a compassionate, big-hearted, easygoing leader who would say being in government put a spring in his step as opposed to the drudgery of opposition.

“I would say his chief political legacy has been really cementing the NDP for the decade as the party of government,” Telford said. “The NDP had only sort of snuck into office previously where there was vote splitting on the right. John Horgan overcame that image of the NDP and planted them very firmly in the middle of the spectrum.”

Horgan, a huge sports fan who kept a lacrosse stick and ball in his office and was a regular, jersey-wearing fan at Victoria Shamrocks lacrosse games, said his love of playing and watching team sports helped him in the political arena.

He was known for taking a team approach to developing government programs and he used skills similar to his movements on the basketball court to forge ties with political friends and foes.

Horgan said he learned to lean on conservative premiers Doug Ford and Jason Kenney for advice on approaching the federal government on national issues at Council of the Federation gatherings.

He said personal struggles related to his father’s death from a brain aneurysm when he was 18 months old and his mother’s efforts to raise four children opened his heart, especially to society’s underdogs.

There were times when his family received food hampers and he was heading down a wrong path as a teenager, Horgan said.

He credited a high school teacher who took him aside and told him to concentrate on sports and academics with turning his life around.

Horgan, known early in his political career for a quick temper, also displayed a sharp sense of humour while premier.

In 2017, during his first visit to Ottawa as premier amid tense confrontations with the federal government over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, Horgan accidentally knocked over a glass of water at a news conference.

Immediately, he said, “Spills happen.”

Trudeau replied, “We’ll clean that up.”

Horgan said: “Yes you will, it’s a federal responsibility.”

Eby said in a statement that the flag at the B.C. legislature would be lowered to half-mast in honour of Horgan.

“Opportunities for British Columbians to offer their condolences will be shared with the public,” the statement said. “We will be working with John’s family and the office of protocol to announce the timing of services to mark the passing of John Horgan.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 12, 2024.

FREDERICTON – New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt confirmed Tuesday that her newly elected Liberal government will draft a carbon pricing plan that will be submitted for Ottawa’s approval.

After a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Holt told reporters that the two had discussed a number of topics, including next steps to be taken on carbon pricing. While there were no concrete solutions presented, the leaders described their discussions as productive.

Holt said people in New Brunswick continue to struggle with the rising cost of living. Her government plans to remove the province’s four-cents-a-litre gas tax and then submit to Ottawa a “made-in-New-Brunswick climate plan” that recognizes the province’s situation.

“We need a plan that reflects the reality in New Brunswick, the fact that we don’t have the same kind of public transportation opportunities. We don’t have the same kind of opportunities to bike to work,” she said. “Because when you’re living in St-Sauveur, that’s not an option. You can’t get to the hospital that way. You have to go to the gas station, and you have to fill up the tank if you want to get your health taken care of and if you want to get to work.”

During the recent provincial election campaign, Holt said a Liberal government would draw up a plan that would ensure large emitters of carbon would pay for their emissions.

She said she wanted to see how her government could incentivize people to change behaviour and not just penalize them.

The prime minister said provinces have the option of crafting a carbon pricing plan that suits them, as long as it meets certain national standards, adding that Quebec and British Columbia have plans that cater to their residents.

“Certainly, the federal approach and the carbon tax rebate puts more money into the pockets of Canadians, but we’re always open to working with other provinces to fight climate change,” he said. “In fact, this is an issue on which I agree totally with the premier because we know that economic growth means fighting climate change.”

Trudeau said former New Brunswick Tory premier Blaine Higgs had initially been on board with a carbon pricing plan.

“The province of New Brunswick had a made-in-New-Brunswick plan, and then premier Higgs had decided to scrap it because he wanted to blame the federal government for what he was doing,” Trudeau said.

“It was a purely, crassly political play. It’s great to have someone who deeply believes in not just protecting the environment but helping with affordability in tangible, concrete ways.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

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VICTORIA – Two newly elected members of British Columbia’s Green Party will officially take their seats in the legislature following the first of three swearing-in ceremonies since last month’s provincial election.

The two Greens — lawyer Rob Botterell, representing Saanich North and the Islands, and geological engineer Jeremy Valeriote, of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, who were elected on Oct. 19 in a tight election race — could play pivotal roles in the legislature, where Premier David Eby’s New Democrats hold a slim one-seat majority.

John Rustad’s B.C. Conservatives, who captured 44 seats in last month’s election, were to be sworn in Tuesday evening in a second ceremony at the legislature.

Rustad said there was “a lot of excitement” among the party members.

“Everybody is, you know, very eager to get at it and start the work.”

Speaking to reporters earlier Tuesday, the Conservative leader touted diversity in his caucus, saying it includes the first Black woman to be elected in B.C. since Rosemary Brown, who entered the legislature in 1972, and the first MLA from the Sto:lo Nation.

“I think in Canada, as a percentage, we have the largest number of women elected as a Conservative caucus in this country,” Rustad said. “It’s a lot to be proud of.”

Judicial recounts in two B.C. ridings last week confirmed Eby’s slim majority government with the NDP holding 47 seats in the 93-seat legislature.

Eby and his New Democrat MLAs are to be sworn in Wednesday at the legislature.

The premier, who will announce his new cabinet next week, is expected to recall the legislature in the coming days for a short fall sitting to elect a Speaker.

Botterell said the Greens and NDP continue to work on plans to co-operate in the legislature, but he wouldn’t provide details.

“We’re in discussions with the NDP and right now we’re putting together our plan for the next four years,” he said after his swearing-in. “I can’t really give you any hints yet.”

While Sonia Furstenau lost her bid for re-election in Victoria, she is staying on for now as leader of the provincial Greens.

She attended the ceremony along with federal Green Leader Elizabeth May.

“It’s a very encouraging day. It means a lot,” said May. “To see Jeremy Valeriote be our foothold for the first time, first elected Green in B.C. who wasn’t from Vancouver Island, and in my own riding with Robert Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands, I’m extremely gratified.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

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