NDP Leader John Horgan was sworn in as premier Tuesday, July 18, along with his new cabinet. Eleven members of Horgan’s 22-person cabinet are women.
Horgan is assuming the role of premier at a time when B.C. is being ravaged by wildfires. He pledged help for British Columbians affected by the fires currently blazing in the province’s interior.
“I want to commit to those who are in distress today that this government – these 11 men and 11 women – will be working as hard as we can to ensure that we get through this crisis, and you are back in your homes safe and building a future ” he said.
He also pledged to get to work immediately on the fentanyl crisis that has claimed so many lives in the province.
Carole James was appointed deputy premier and minister of finance, David Eby as attorney general, Adrian Dix as minister of health and Mike Farnworth as solicitor general and minister of Public Safety.
Other cabinet appointments include:
- George Heyman, Environment and Climate Change;
- Rob Fleming, Education;
- Harry Bains, Labour;
- Katrine Conroy, Children and Family Development;
- Selina Robinson, Municipal Affairs and Housing;
- Scott Fraser, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation;
- Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure;
- Melanie Mark, Advanced Education, Skills and Training;
- Judy Darcy, Mental Health and Addictions;
- Shane Simpson, Social Development and Poverty Reduction;
- Michelle Mungall, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources;
- Doug Donaldson, Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development;
- Bruce Ralston, Jobs, Trade, and Technology;
- Lana Popham, Agriculture;
- Jinny Sims, Citizens' Services;
- Lisa Beare, Tourism, Arts and Culture;
- George Chow, minister of state, Trade; and
- Katrina Chen, minister of state, Child Care.
Horgan also appointed the following parliamentary secretaries:
- Jennifer Rice, Emergency Preparedness;
- Mable Elmore, Poverty Reduction;
- Anne Kang, Seniors;
- Ravi Kahlon, Sport and Multiculturalism;
- Rick Glumac, Technology;
- Bowinn Ma, TransLink.
Some of the priorities that the NDP and Green Party have agreed to will have to wait until the first sitting of the Legislature in the fall for new legislation to be passed.
But in the interim, there are some measures the new government can take through orders in cabinet, and Horgan said that referring the Site C dam to the BC Utilities Commission and scrapping tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges are among them.
Horgan told reporters in a scrum after Tuesday's swearing-in ceremonies that his new cabinet would be starting immediately on referring Site C to the BCUC.
“It’s something that I want to get to quickly,” he said. “I believe that there’s an urgency to get some certainty on some of the economic questions that I don‘t believe have been adequately canvassed, and we’re going to get on that as quickly as we can.”
He said that his new government would also be working to eliminate tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges “this summer,” as well as raising disability and income assistance rates.
Horgan added there is routine government business to attend to as well – business that has been on hold in the period since the May 9 election.
“I understand through the transition team that there’s a lot of work to be done that’s been waiting for ministerial direction and direction from executive council, so we’re going to be getting at that first thing tomorrow morning.”
