John Horgan will resign as Premier of British Columbia
Key Takeaways:
- On Tuesday, nearly five years after he initially assumed office, John Horgan announced his resignation as the premier of British Columbia.
- The upcoming provincial election, which is scheduled for the fall of 2024, will be overseen by the new premier.
- Horgan was re-elected in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, earning the highest electoral victory for an NDP premier.
John Horgan resigned as premier of British Columbia official on Tuesday, almost five years after he first took office.
Horgan will continue in office until a replacement is found. He has requested that the NDP executive kick off the fall leadership election process.
"I have realized that I cannot give six more years. Being the premier of British Columbia has been the greatest delight of my life, Horgan said during a press conference.
He went on to claim that he chose to take his wife, Ellie, for a walk on the beach since political onlookers had been speculating about his health and political future for weeks.
By the time a second term was halfway through, it was apparent that a leader focused on the following two years and beyond as needed.
"I'm happy to report that I'm cancer-free. Although I am very energetic, Horgan added that this might not be the case in two years.
"I'll keep doing all my power to make politics work for people. This includes urging the federal govt to pay its fair part of the costs associated with providing healthcare so that we may improve the efficiency of the public health care system for all.
On July 18, 2017, the 62-year-old received his official oath of office as premier following a vote of confidence in the legislature.
Following a closely contested general election, the BC NDP and B.C. Greens had voted jointly to reject then-premier Christy Clark after Lt.-Gov Judith Guichon requested that Horgan lead with the backing of the Greens.
The new premier will preside over the next provincial election, currently slated for the fall of 2024.
Upon becoming office, Horgan made addressing affordability a priority.
To reduce the exorbitant cost of housing, the NDP immediately abolished tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges.
His administration has improved ICBC, advanced the Site C dam and liquefied natural gas projects, and raised benefits for recipients of disability aid.
Due to his government's objection to the Trans Mountain Pipeline, he was also called to Ottawa in 2018. As a result of B.C.'s stance, Ottawa ended up purchasing the pipeline from Kinder Morgan.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Horgan gained re-election in 2020, securing the highest electoral victory for an NDP premier.
His political future has been the topic of discussion in political circles recently.
He said he had throat cancer in November and underwent numerous radiation treatments.
He spoke about being cancer-free just last week.
He has recently been in the political spotlight after stating he will abandon the controversial and expensive $789 million Royal BC Museum renovation project and accept responsibility for moving the project forward without seeking input from the public.