Adam Pankratz: John Horgan wasn’t your typical NDP premier – National Post

Nov 13, 2024

B.C. will miss him

In John Horgan, British Columbians found a politician, but not an ideologue. A Premier, but not a partisan. He was “Premier Dad.” Horgan wasn’t known for the soaring oratory of the Barack Obamas of the world, but what he excelled at was understanding people. Real people. He was raised and steeped in the concerns of the average citizen and understood what made B.C. tick. On Tuesday, we received the sad news that he died after a battle with cancer. Horgan was 65.

A humble man with real grit, he had a common touch that endeared him to all.

Horgan ascended to power in a rather unconventional manner. In the 2017 election, Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberals won 43 seats, Horgan’s NDP 41 and the Greens under Andrew Weaver took the remaining three. However, Horgan and Weaver struck a deal to work together and formed government. Though initially an unlikely premier, Horgan governed the province effectively and, in the end, was universally respected, even by his fiercest political opponents.