Premier taps Kahlon to rebuild economy
Horgan said he was “very proud” of the work done by former Education Minister Rob Fleming, whom he moved to transportation.
For the first time, Horgan named a minister responsible for rebuilding the economy after closures, bankruptcies and layoffs caused by COVID-19. The premier tapped Ravi Kahlon, MLA for Delta North and a former Olympic athlete, as the new minister of jobs, economic recovery and innovation.
“Mr. Kahlon is taking on an enormous responsibility,” he said. “The recovery initiatives that we announced in September will now be overseen by Ravi.”
Selina Robinson, a former Coquitlam councillor and most recently the minister of housing and municipal affairs, received the biggest promotion as the minister of finance. Horgan cited Robinson's work ethic in engaging with municipalities as the previous municipal affairs minister.
“Her understanding of the people of British Columbia is unmatched.”
Robinson replaced Carole James, who has retired, but is staying on as a special adviser with a salary of $1 a year.
Seven key ministers went unmoved by the premier, including Attorney General David Eby; Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister Lana Popham; Energy Minister Bruce Ralston; Environment Minister George Heyman (who also added responsibility for TransLink); Labour Minister Harry Bains; Public Safety Minister and solicitor general Mike Farnworth; and Health Minister Dix.
Eby, who has been overseeing dramatic change to no-fault insurance at ICBC, was relieved of the Crown auto agency, lottery and much of gaming enforcement in exchange for new responsibilities on housing and homelessness.
Former federal NDP MP Murray Rankin was named minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation. Rankin had been under contract with the B.C. government to help mediate the dispute with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs over the Coastal GasLink Pipeline.
“He's a noted scholar, a professor of laws, he understands these issues intimately,” said Horgan.
Then there were new faces tapped for Horgan's front bench.
Four-term NDP MLA Nicholas Simons, of Powell River-Sunshine Coast, became minister of social development and poverty reduction.
Horgan appointed three Vancouver Island MLAs to their first cabinet portfolios: Mitzi Dean as minister of children and family development; Josie Osborne, formerly mayor of Tofino, as minister of municipal affairs; and Sheila Malcolmson, Nanaimo MLA and former NDP MP, as minister of mental health and addictions.
Horgan defended the standalone Mental Health and Addictions Ministry, even though overdose deaths remain at record levels and the ministry is widely criticized as being ineffective.
The new cabinet was gender balanced, with a mix of MLAs from the North, Interior, Coast, Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
“I was surprised that nobody from the Fraser Valley was appointed to cabinet,” said Hamish Telford, a political-science professor at the University of the Fraser Valley.
“Five historic wins in the valley, two in Langley, two in Chilliwack, one in Mission, and none of them made cabinet. ... The valley is taking a chance on the NDP and I would have thought they would get some reward.”
Others ministers moved laterally, such as Lisa Beare from tourism to citizens' services; Katrine Conroy from children and families to forestry; Melanie Mark from advanced education to tourism; and Anne Kang from citizens' services to advanced education.
Two former NDP MPs failed to land full cabinet posts.
Nathan Cullen, who embarrassed Horgan during the election by pushing out a First Nations woman as NDP candidate in
Stikine and then being caught on an open microphone making fun of a First Nation leader's name, was appointed minister of state for lands — natural resource operations. Fin Donnelly, who won in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, was named parliamentary secretary for fisheries and aquaculture.