Ravi Kahlon won’t seek BC NDP leadership
Posted July 6, 2022 12:45 pm.
Last Updated July 7, 2022 6:46 pm.
Ravi Kahlon, a top figure with the BC NDP, will not be running to be the new party leader.
Speculation over who could be the new party leader has been circling, since Premier John Horgan announced last week he will step down.
Kahlon’s name is among those that have been suggested. However, on Wednesday, the Delta North MLA took his name out of the hat, before the leadership race even began.
The current Minister of jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation says he’s thankful to those who wanted him to consider the job, but he has had to decline.
“After careful consideration with my family, we have come to the decision that now is not the time for us,” Kahlon said in a statement.
“I can live with regrets of not being a Premier, I can’t live with regrets of not being there for my son,” he added.
Related articles: B.C. Premier John Horgan to step down
Kahlon says he has spoken with Vancouver-Point Grey MLA David Eby to encourage the Attorney General and Housing Minister to run for the party’s top job.
“Following this decision, I called my friend David Eby and encouraged him to seek the leadership. David is someone who I admire, someone with integrity, passion and is the right person to be our next Premier and carry on the important work we are doing to build a Stronger BC.”
“I think that David is the best person,” Kahlon added. “For me, if he does choose to run, I think we have a strong candidate to be the Premier.”
Eby has not announced whether he is seeking the party leadership.
In a statement to CityNews, Eby said he was still having discussions on the move.
“Seeking the leadership of our party is a big decision, and one I am still actively discussing with my family, friends, and community,” Eby said.
“While I take the time to weigh this decision, my focus remains on the work of our government and my responsibilities as Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing. We have made so much progress for people in B.C., and there is much more to do.”
When asked last week, he sidestepped the question.
“I’ll obviously be having conversations with my family, with my friends, and my colleagues, with the party and with British Columbians about how we move forward together,” he told reporters, echoing the general response so far.
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UBC political scientist Max Cameron admits he was surprised with Kahlon’s decision not to run. However, he now sees Eby as being in the driver’s seen — despite him not throwing his hat in the ring.
“At this point, everybody is talking about thinking it through, whether that’s Nathan Cullen, Selina Robinson, or Eby, and there are of course others, including others outside of the party. There could be people outside the party who might be interested in running for the leadership. So I think we’re sort of in the dog days of summer and I suspect that as we get closer to the fall, we’ll get a clearer picture of who’s in the race and who isn’t,” he explained.
Regardless of who is eventually chosen as leader, Cameron says running the province won’t be easy for them.
“We do face cascading crises of climate, we’ve had floods and droughts and landslides, heat domes. We’ve got a pandemic on our hands — not unrelated to the climate crisis. We’ve got serious problems with the opioid crisis, housing affordability, so forth, so the party can’t afford to be complacent.”
While Horgan says he will stay on in the role until a new leader is elected later this year, a byelection may be triggered depending on ends up taking over.
If it’s a serving MLA, that person will be able to assume the role without needing to be re-elected by the public.
However, if it is someone who is not currently holding a seat in the legislature, they will need to be elected. In such a case, the party typically chooses a riding which would likely go in the candidate’s favour, triggering a byelection.
Read more: Speculation of potential candidates to replace Premier John Horgan gains momentum
Horgan announced he will step down as party leader on June 28, following an NDP cabinet retreat. He said 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 at the time.
“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.”
Horgan plans to continue serving as MLA for the riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca for the remainder of his term.
With files from Kareem Gouda, Liza Yuzda, Hana Mae Nassar, and OMNI News
