On Thursday afternoon, November 26th at 2pm, Premier John Horgan, with the support of British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, Janet Austin, announced a larger and still diverse Cabinet, and a new slate of Parliamentary Secretaries. Omissions? Where the heck is Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert in the mix announced on Thursday?
VanRamblings had thought that Mr. Chandra Herbert was a shoe-in for Speaker of the House, but that — apparently — is going to Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds since 2005. Almost leaves one thinking that out-and-proud, multi-year MLAs can’t find favour with …
And what of Pam Alexis, former Mayor of Mission and recently-elected MLA representing Abbotsford-Mission, or former Surrey Councillor Mike Starchuk, who took the longtime B.C. Liberal stronghold of Surrey-Cloverdale? And neither of the recently-elected MLAs in the Chilliwack ridings made it into Cabinet, although former Chilliwack school trustee Dan Coulter was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary responsible for accessibility. Fifty-seven BC NDP MLAs, an enlarged Cabinet of twenty-four, including the Premier, with all but three of the appointments made Thursday coming from either Metro Vancouver, or Vancouver Island.
Nathan Cullen, a future BC NDP leadership hopeful — and who, when he was an MP in Ottawa held a senior shadow minister portfolio, that of federal NDP Finance crtitic — gets a slap on the wrist from the Premier by being appointed only to a junior Minister of State portfolio? Same goes for multi-talented and very bright Bowinn Ma — what do the stars of the BC NPD caucus have to do to become full Cabinet ministers in the Horgan government? And Rob Fleming is Bowinn Ma’s new boss? Really? Really?
The most salutary appointment of the day? One time leadership hopeful, Nicholas Simons, longtime MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, and one of only four openly gay members of the provincial legislature, becomes the new Minister for Social Development and Poverty Reduction, a sort of latter day Corky Evans in the 2020 John Horgan Cabinet. There’ll also be a good number of folks who’ll be over the moon former NDP MP Finn Donnelly is the new parliamentary secretary responsible for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Biggest disappointment of the day (next to Spencer Chandra Herbert being shut out)? The failure of the Premier to appoint the incredibly competent, longtime Member of the Legislature representing the riding of Vancouver-Kensington, Mable Elmore — there’ll be quite a number of folks in British Columbia’s politically astute and active Filipino-Canadian community whose noses will be very much out of joint Mable Elmore was snubbed yet again.
Seems, as well, that Vancouver-Point Grey MLA David Eby really wanted to retain his Attorney General portfolio (into which has been folded his Minister of Justice responsibilities), a position to which he was appointed for a second term. At least, as VanRamblings predicted, Mr. Eby becomes the Minister of Good News, having taken on the responsibility for Housing — making him, once again, the busiest, hardest working man in B.C. politics.
Out Surrey way, Surrey-Green Timbers MLA Rachna Singh made it in as a parliamentary secretary, while former BCTF President, and two-term MLA for Surrey-Panorama, Jinny Sims, seems not to have revived her reputation enough to find herself back in Cabinet, or in the Premier’s favour.
Twenty-four Cabinet positions, thirteen parliamentary secretary positions, and one Speaker of the House — all of which leaves 19 BC NDP elected Members of the Legislature twiddling their thumbs & getting up to no good.
As Andrew McLeod writes in The Tyee, Horgan opted for stability, a stand pat, middle-of-the-road, nominally social democratic NDP government.
Premier: John Horgan
Attorney General (and Minister Responsible For Housing): David Eby
- Parliamentary Secretary — Anti-Racism Initiatives: Rachna Singh
Advanced Education and Skills Training: Anne Kang
- Parliamentary Secretary — Skills Training: Andrew Mercier
Agriculture, Food and Fisheries: Lana Popham
- Parliamentary Secretary — Fisheries and Aquaculture: Fin Donnelly
Citizens’ Services: Lisa Beare
Children and Family Development: Mitzi Dean
Minister of State for Child Care: Katrina Chen
Education: Jennifer Whiteside
Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation (and Minister Responsible for the Consular Corps of B.C.): Bruce Ralston
Environment and Climate Change Strategy (and Minister Responsible for Translink): George Heyman
- Parliamentary Secretary — Environment: Kelly Greene
Finance: Selina Robinson
- Parliamentary Secretary — Gender Equity: Grace Lore
Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development: Katrine Conroy
- Minister of State for Lands, Natural Resource Operations: Nathan Cullen
- Parliamentary Secretary — Rural Development: Roly Russell
Health (Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs): Adrian Dix
- Parliamentary Secretary — Seniors Services and Long Term Care: Mable Elmore
Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation: Murray Rankin
Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation: Ravi Kahlon
- Minister of State for Trade: George Chow
- Parliamentary Secretary — Technology and Innovation: Brenda Bailey
Labour: Harry Bains
- Parliamentary Secretary — New Economy: Adam Walker
Mental Health and Addictions: Sheila Malcolmson
Municipal Affairs: Josie Osborne
Public Safety and Solicitor General: Mike Farnworth
- Parliamentary Secretary — Emergency Preparedness: Jennifer Rice
Social Development and Poverty Reduction: Nicholas Simons
- Parliamentary Secretary — Community Development and Non-Profits: Niki Sharma
- Parliamentary Secretary — Accessibility: Dan Coulter
Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport: Melanie Mark
- Parliamentary Secretary — Arts and Film: Bob D’Eith
Transportation and Infrastructure: Rob Fleming
- Minister of State for Infrastructure: Bowinn Ma
Clearly, in Premier Horgan’s second term, there remains an “inner Cabinet” of confidantes, their number expanded from his first term, and now consisting of “senior advisor” and former Finance Minister, Carole James; David Eby; new Finance Minister, Selina Robinson; Adrian Dix; Mike Farnworth; the Premier’s chief of staff, Geoff Meggs, and Don Wright, deputy minister to the Premier, cabinet secretary and head of the BC Public Service, who announced on November 10th that he’d be stepping down.
Time will tell whether the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation likes rookie New Westminster MLA Jennifer Whiteside any better than they did her predecessor, Rob Fleming, whether Sheila Malcolmson can get a handle of the overdose crisis, or whether Katrina Chen can convince the Premier to move just a bit more quickly on implementation of $10-a-day child care.
All of which will count for naught until and unless the government can get a firmer handle of the coronavirus crisis. Fortunately, Adrian Dix remains British Columbia’s Health Minister, with the full confidence of the Premier.
