In memoriam: The legacy of John Horgan
The 36th premier of B.C. died at age 65 after his third battle with cancer
John Horgan served as the 36th premier of B.C. from 2017 to 2022. (BC NDP/Wikimedia Commons)
On Nov. 12, former British Columbia premier John Horgan died after a battle with thyroid cancer at age 65 — the third cancer diagnosis in his life.
Horgan was elected as leader of the BC NDP Party in 2017 and served as the 36th premier of the province. In 2022, Horgan stepped down from premiership after being diagnosed with throat cancer the year prior, and later resigned as MLA in 2023.
The late premier had also been diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2008, but, after surgery and treatment, was declared cancer-free.
“Our hearts are broken to announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, John Horgan,” the Horgan family wrote in a statement posted to X.
“The wellbeing of British Columbia and everyone in it was everything to him.”
When Horgan became premier in 2017, he dislodged both former premier Christy Clark and 16 years of BC Liberal Party rule to form a minority government — the first NDP government since the 2001 electoral wipeout by Gordon Campbell. His win came with the confidence-and-supply deal he struck with the BC Green Party at the time.
As a leader, Horgan made some important changes but did not make any waves or shake the foundations of the province.
Under Horgan, there was a flip on the controversial Site C hydroelectric dam, which he had previously been against, but opted to support completion on the grounds that its cancellation would lead to a $4-billion debt with nothing in return.
Horgan also opposed expanding the Trans Mountain pipeline into B.C. — a move that did little to shake the Albertan NDP government and the federal Liberals, who later purchased the pipeline to ensure its continuation.
Another policy change under Horgan’s lead was raising minimum wage and indexing it with inflation. This meant that annually on June 1, starting in 2019, minimum wage rose with the rate of inflation to help the lowest-earning workers with affordability.
Horgan also enshrined the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into B.C. law. However, Horgan’s relations with Indigenous nations in the province were not positive all the time.
Controversy reared when the Coastal GasLink pipeline intruded upon Wet’suwet’en lands under the purview of hereditary chiefs without consultation or consent — a violation of the very UNDRIP principles he had adopted. Land defenders were subsequently criminalized and placed under RCMP surveillance for opposing the project.
Over his time as premier, Horgan also removed the tolls on the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges, MSP premiums, and pushed for low-cost child care.
Horgan was first elected to the B.C. Legislature in 2005 and was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada’s ambassador to Germany in November 2023.
“John Horgan believed in the power of public service,” Trudeau wrote in a statement posted to social media. “He saw it as a privilege, as a way to help others and to make our country better. He loved British Columbia. As premier, he had a tenacity, passion, and dedication for his work that very few could match.”
“He always believed that we would get more done if we worked together,” Trudeau added.
