Former Premier of British Columbia and current Canadian Ambassador to Germany, John Horgan, has died at the age of 65.
John Horgan made history for leading the New Democratic Party to a majority government in British Columbia. He won his bet in 2020, after having governed for three years as leader of a minority government obtained thanks to an alliance with the Green Party of the province.
Known for his charisma, his outspokenness and his team spirit, John Horgan marked a political, but also cultural, break in the province, after 16 years of power of the Liberal government.
After a life dedicated to public service, he finally bowed out from politics in 2022, at the age of 63, to prioritize his health and his family. John Horgan was then in remission from his second cancer.
This departure took place at the height of his glory
among British Columbians, according to political analysts.
Starting in November 2023, the former NDP leader was appointed Canadian ambassador to Germany. He subsequently received a third diagnosis of cancer, this time of the thyroid.
The announcement of the death of John Horgan this morning in Victoria leaves us with heavy hearts
said British Columbia Premier David Eby, who succeeded John Horgan as leader of the NPD in November 2022.
John loved this province and its people. He strived to fight injustice wherever he saw it, using his mandate to help build a better, stronger British Columbia for everyone.
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John Horgan with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Darryl Dyck
Political career
Born in 1959 in Victoria, Vancouver Island, John Horgan is the youngest of four children. He married in 1984 and had two sons with his wife, Ellie.
Several times in his career, John Horgan said he never saw himself as a leading player in politics.
After earning a degree in history and Canadian studies from Trent University in Ontario and a master’s degree in history in Australia, he returned to Canada to work for MPs in Ottawa and in the Prime Minister’s Office of British Columbia. British. He subsequently set up a consulting firm for private and public organizations in 2001.
In 2005, John Horgan entered the Legislative Assembly when he was elected MP for Langford Juan de Fuca. He then ran for the position of leader of the NDP, which he won in 2014, after the defeat of Adrian Dix’s troops in the 2013 provincial elections.
John Horgan’s political life has been marked by the opioid crisis, the pandemic, and devastating wildfires and floods.
He was praised for leading the first government in Canada to adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
