B.C.’s NDP government sworn in Surrey gets 3 in cabinet

Surrey now has three cabinet ministers and North Delta has a parliamentary secretary in the new cabinet in BC. Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston is minister of jobs, trade and technology; Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains is minister of labour and Jinny Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama is minister of citizens’s services.

This is Sims first run as an MLA. She served as NDP MP for Newton-North Delta from 2011 to 2015 and before that was president of the BC Teachers Federation from 2004 to 2007.

Ralston has held his riding since 2005 and before that served as B.C. NDP party president, and a Surrey Civic Electors alderman and councillor from 1988-93.

Bains has also held his riding since 2005 and before that served on Kwantlen University’s board of governors, and as vide-president of Steelworkers-IWA Canada local 2171. In opposition, he was critic for the Olympics, transportation, infrastructure. employment, WorkSafe BC, forests, lands and natural resources.Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon, a former Olympian but new to the political arena, is parliamentary secretary for sport and multiculturalism.

 The two month old deadlock at British Columbia finally came to an end. The B.C. NDP has officially taken power.  John Horgan has been sworn in as British Columbia’s 36th premier, along with his cabinet.  Horgan, 57, replaces Christy Clark as premier and ends 16 years of Liberal rule in B.C.

The gender-balanced cabinet includes a minister of mental health and addictions, fulfilling a key campaign commitment. The minister is Judy Darcy, former health critic and president of the Hospital Employees’ Union. Melanie Mark, the new minister of advanced education and skills training, becomes the first Indigenous woman to serve in cabinet in British Columbia. Horgan spoke about planning to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the opioid crisis, reaching a softwood lumber deal, improving the province’s education system and improving equality in B.C.  “I will work as hard as I’ve ever worked before to make sure I live up to our commitments made during the election campaign, to ensure  that this great economy works not just for the few, but for everyone. We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” he said.  “We have the team, we have the plan, we are committed to getting it done. You can count on that,” added Horgan.

Horgan’s first cabinet has 20 ministers as well as two ministers of state and six parliamentary secretaries.