B.C. Premier John Horgan to step down

B.C. Premier John Horgan will step down after a new NDP leader is elected later this year.

Horgan made the announcement Tuesday afternoon following an NDP cabinet retreat. He says he and his wife made the decision after reflecting on their plans for the future.

“Many of you will know, in fact I’m pretty sure it’s not a secret, that I have gone through my second bout of cancer and successfully went through 35 radiation treatments and I am currently cancer-free. My health is good but my energy flags as the days go by,” he said.

“So before I could ask my colleagues what their plans were for the coming two years and beyond, I had to ask myself that,” the premier continued. “We came to the conclusion that I’m not able to make another six-year commitment to this job and as a result I’ve asked Aaron Sumexheltza, the president of the BC NDP, to work with our governing body, the provincial council, and the executive, to select a date in the fall for a leadership convention.”

Indications are @jjhorgan will announcing he’s stepping down as Premier in his presser this aft following the NDP cabinet retreat. Was expected before next elxn – with leadership race needed. Not known if he will stay as mla until then.#bcpoli

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) June 28, 2022

The next provincial election is set for 2024. Horgan says he will remain premier until the party chooses a new leader.

Horgan is currently the head of the Council of the Federation and is hosting Canada’s premiers in Victoria in July.

“This has been the thrill of my life to be the premier of British Columbia and I will be the premier of British Columbia tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that,” he said Tuesday, touching on recent speculation around what his future plans would entail following his most recent battle with cancer.

“I want to put the speculation to rest so we can get back to what really matters, and that’s the issues before British Columbians. This has never been about me. I’ve tried to make my leadership a statement about the strength of my colleagues and our ability to work collaboratively to get good outcomes for the people that we represent. That’s my way, that’s how I roll, and that’s what I’ll be continuing to do in the weeks ahead.”

Horgan announced his diagnosis more than seven months ago after the discovery of a lump in his neck.

He finished his cancer treatment in January. He said a month later that he intended on staying on as leader of his party of the BC NDP and premier, should that be the will of the people.

“My plan is to keep going until people don’t want me to do it anymore,” he said Feb. 11, 2021.

More recently, Horgan came under fire for controversial plans to upgrade the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. The project, which was slated to cost close to a billion dollars, to modernize the space was scrapped after backlash from the community.

Horgan, who has been the leader of the NDP since 2014, was sworn in as premier of British Columbia in July of 2017. He is currently the MLA of Langford-Juan de Fuca.