Horgan Unveils New NDP Shadow Cabinet
Prince George, B.C. – BC New Democrat Leader John Horgan has announced changes to his shadow cabinet as provincial politicians prepare to return to the legislature for a new session beginning on Tuesday February 14th, Valentine’s Day.
Horgan announced the changes during a caucus planning session in Vancouver and told reporters “British Columbians are tired of Christy Clark ignoring their concerns while she puts her wealthy donors at the front of the line. My team is ready to build a better B.C. that puts people first.”
He named Coquitlam-Burke Mountain MLA Jodie Wickens the new Opposition spokesperson for early childhood development and child care, stating Wickens “is going to lead the charge on our plan to provide universal, affordable, quality child care for every family who wants it as we work towards $10-a-day child care.”
Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA Selina Robinson now has responsibility for mental health and addictions, in addition to her current role as spokesperson for seniors and local government. “At a time when Christy Clark has failed to do what is necessary to get a handle on the overdose crisis that people in our province are grappling with, Selina Robinson will fight for better services to treat those who have been left behind and ignored,” said Horgan.
The NDP leader also announced education spokesperson Rob Fleming would expand his role to include universities and colleges, agriculture and foods spokesperson Lana Popham will add responsibility for small business, and North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice will be the spokesperson for northern economic development, in addition to northern and rural health.
The full list of John Horgan’s 2017 shadow cabinet can be found here.
The Feb. 14th resumption of the legislature will end a seven-month absence of MLAs, who last sat to conduct the peoples’ business on July 28th, 2016. Premier Clark cancelled the fall sitting of the house.
Comments
While Horgan is busy rearranging the deck chairs on the dippership SS Tinytannic three months from election day he still does not have a full slate of candidates for the May election. Some blame can be placed on the local riding associations ultimately the buck stops at Horgan.
Horgan wants to lead the province and cannot even ensure that the ridings have their stuff together. Any leader worth his salt would have kept a close eye on nominations for all ridings starting last summer and lit a fire under those who are lagging behind.
Prince George ndp does not even have a firm date set for nomination meetings or any potential candidates(read cannon fodder). Possible that we see a rerun of 2013?
Some posters on this site are constantly making disparaging remarks about two of the hardest working MLAs in government, Shirley Bond and Mike Morris while the opposition party seems to have already given up on Prince George.
Editor’s note: This comment has been edited due to name calling.
Sparrow. You have no clue as to what you are talking about. I am no fan of the NDP or the so called Liberals, however you can rest assured that the NDP is ready for the next election, and will field a full slate of candidates.
My guess is that they don’t want to get into the game to soon, which is probably not a bad strategy. The so called Liberals on the other hand have lots of money, and have for all intents and purposes been campaigning for the past year. (Mostly on tax dollars).
The Liberals need to take a vacation. They have been in power for far to long, and have nothing to offer except more of the same, which has been a disaster.
Unless you plan on keeping the Liberals in power for ever then you need to be thinking of throwing them out, if for no other reason than to show them who is the real boss in this Province. If you continue to blindly support these bozo’s, then you are going to get more terrible Government.
Although I did not like to see the Harper Government lose the last election, I can accept that we need to change from time to time, because that is the only way we can apply pressure to Government.
I think it is you Palopu that does not have a clue about the political pulse of a province or the country for that matter.
“I did not like to see the Harper Government lose the last election” Now THERE is an understatement
Remember the last federal election how you beat the drum endlessly for Harper, took on all comers and guaranteed that he would have a massive victory the likes of which we have never seen. When they went down in flames you slunk off to some corner to pout for a month or two.
Electing an ndp government would move the province in the wrong direction and pose a direct threat to our standing as the leading province in the country based on a number of metrics such as gdp, low unemployment and job growth.
Look at what is happening south of the border for a perfect example of changing for change sake.
If you want change get involved, join the party make an effort to have your voice heard.
Staying silent until the last six weeks of the campaign was the Dix strategy in 2013 and how did that work out? 40 point swing in a month and a half in favor of the liberals.
Horgan was asked for his opinion on Kinder Morgan a week or so ago and the look on his face for a split second looked like the reporter had told him that his best friend had died. He did not know what to do or say knowing full well that if he spoke in favor would lose urban votes and against would lose votes in places like Kamloops. How funny would that be if two ndp leaders met their Waterloo on the exact same question:)
@palopu more of the same top province in Canada. I do like it. Easy to get to the bottom and then create some jobs and claim you are the best but hard to stay at number one when other provinces are also doing well.
I wouldn’t mind them losing majority to keep them on their toes but the NDP would be a terrible mistake and repeat of history we do not need. Problem with Horgan is he would be trying to get any excuse to call a vote of confidence going and cost the taxpayers another election. I don’t see any aura of working with people in him at all. My way or the highway is his basic attitude towards the people of the province.
Sounds like Horagn has been getting advice from Dix? Definitely will not be getting my vote regardless!
Almost 4years later and I just cannot get the picture out off my mind of Adrian Dix practicing his acceptance and victory over the liberals. How funny was that . He’s still on the NDP cacus.
As is former leader Carol James. Seems once they get their nose in the public trough you can’t drag them out. That trait carries on to the federal stage too, Mulcair was soundly rejected not only by the people of Canada but by his own party but still clings with all his might onto a leg of the three legged stool known as the chair of national ndp.
I am disappointed that the announcement of a shadow cabinet will not be held on Groundhog Day…..
Good One! and that’s all they got. A shadow, LOL!
The purpose of the shadow cabinet is to form a group of people who are full time critics without having to provide any alternatives or solutions. All while suckling at the public teat. A good gig if you can get it.
Palopu:”Unless you plan on keeping the Liberals in power for ever then you need to be thinking of throwing them out, if for no other reason than to show them who is the real boss in this Province.”
By your reasoning a party must be thrown out even if the alternative is the well known worse choice!? Like cutting off your nose to spite your face!?
As most of you are probably unaware, the majority of my posted comments relate to the news story at hand, providing fact and backing them up with sources. For some reason, over the last couple of days, the comments coming from the right (Pro Lib-Cons) have been all over the place, sparrow’s comment is just one example. However, in this one instance, I will attempt to respond using her tactic for analogies.
If the province of BC were a ship (other than the SS Tinytannic) the BC Liberal abandoned that ship long ago, leaving BC’s resources unknown and unmanaged. All the NDP has to do is climb onto that abandoned ship we call a province and get it back on course!
Kind of a weird comment… but… at least I am trying to relate to Lieberal logic!
Yet on this occasion you completely ignore the fact that Horgan is shuffling deck chairs as the dippership is sinking.Could it be because he is an utterly incompetent and unprepared party leader and there is no way to justify this pointless exercise other than it gets him a bit of ink.
The fact that there are no candidates to run under the dipper banner yet or even any in the pipeline for PG shows that Horgan does not have the skills required to lead the province. One would think that in the four years since last election they could have beat the bushes and found somebody, anybody that is willing to throw their hat in the ring.
I know that over the last 16 years the ndp have lost all their support from private and building trade unions but surely there is a public servant brother or sister that can take some time out of their gruelling 35 hour work week to find enough people to sign their nomination papers.
Questions on resources asked and answered yesterday.
btw What is today’s slur de jour?
I must admit, Horgan organizing a new cabinet is a waste of time, because that cabinet will hardly ever get a chance it sit!
ht tp://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/bc-legislature-sits-36-of-579-days-is-this-responsible-government/article14245947/
If you think the only time an MLA is working is when the legislature is sitting then it offers more proof how ill informed you really are.
The house sits in order to pass budgets and other required legislation. To sit just to have a daily piss and moan session serves no real purpose. When the house is not sitting the Liberal members are out running the business of the province ensuring that we stay at the front of the pack.
Not sure what the members of the opposition do when the house is not sitting. As the opposition is sometimes described as governmnet in waiting perhaps they should be doing things that show they are prepared to lead if given the chance. You know things like ensuring like they have a slate of candidates ready well ahead of time instead of going into panic mode three months out.
I guess this is why you consistantly call down the liberals but never offer anything positive about about the ndp….there is nothing good to say.
When a reputable national newspaper asks the question; does BC have a responsible government? That should give most people, who are capable of independent thought, pause for concern.
No, its time we voted in a government that actually wants to show up for work!
Opinion pieces are the new facts BH? May as well post straight off the Tyee or democracywatch… oh wait…
Sparrow, well said! They like to sit there, yell and scream and pound the desks with their fists as if they want to reduce the wood to a heap of splinters!
Another thing that puzzles me is why an NDPer who comments here calls those who have different opinions sociopaths and delusional! How on earth does he expect them to change their *misguided* ways by doing that? He misspells the word Liberals intentionally as Lieberals. He may be turning a lot of people off with those snide barbs! If so, mission accomplished!
When the BC Liberals cancelled the fall session, this is what some of the experts were saying; “Dennis Pilon, a political scientist at the University of Victoria, said the decision will not be viewed kindly by voters who want to see the government being held to account. “The legislature is the place where accountability is supposed to happen,” said Pilon.
“At least we get this tiny, small window where the people with power have to stand in front of everyone else, and the elected opponents of them, and justify the policies that they make.”This is fundamentally undemocratic. This is wrong. We should live up to the standards of a modern democracy. ~ CBC News.
Essentially we have a BC Liberal government, governing behind closed doors… this is completely unacceptable!!!
Have told you before peeps that I follow the simple rule to only click on links from known and trusted sources and as you fail on both measures did not read the editorial.
But judging from what was in the link the question posed was answered in my post. Had you hook line and sinker by the headline alone though.
Still struggling to find something positive to say about the ndp?
Opinion pieces are ndp alt-facts slinky! Orwellian thinking- rich is poor,poor is rich, thoughtcrimes are forbidden, liberals are unpersons.
Since when is the BC Liberal government sitting only 36-of-579-days in the Legislature considered “opinion” or alt-fact? It is a statistical fact, leave it up to a Lib-Con loving sparrow to try and turn FACTS into opinions and alt-facts.
I think we are moving into Donald Trump territory here, so you real Liberals out there might want to consider moving away from the extreme right Cons and Western Reformers, you know. like you did in the last federal election.
Much like Trump did in their election you and the party you support are presenting a dystopian view of the future if we continue down the path we are currently on. The path that has us leading the pack of all other provinces, low unemployment, balanced budgets , top tier credit ratings, etc.
The future looks pretty rosy from where I sit. CC & Co. will once again paint a bright positive picture(that they can back up with 16 years of success)in the campaign while the perenial losers once again mumble and stumble through talking of doom and gloom(Oh My)
Prince George…. He gets downright testy when someone points out the Hippocrisy© of the constant name calling.
We are heading out for the evening peeps so in the meantime the challenge is still open for you to come up with some positive things to say about the ndp. Triple black diamond hard but do you best.
Sparrow, well done!
You really do have to actually read the articles you post instead of just the headlines BH. Fact turns to fallacy when the story has nothing to do with the actual headline, kind of makes the source useless
But hey, Dippers gotta hate, hate, hate right BH?
…your best
The liberals have all but decimated this province, after 16 years they have done little but increase the costs and job loss to those in family supporting jobs, At same time gave 3.5 billion in tax breaks to Corporations and another $260 million to banks, 100 million to investment firms and spending 178 million on ads promoting themselves. So after 16 years in power those with the wealth did very well others pay the price. Libs are wasteful, arrogant right wing conservatives that have no ability to run a province that benefits the people of this Province. So rant on about your crap ,in the end its voters that will send this group of bandits back to the drawing Board and re- think their future.
I’m not sure if any of you just saw the “Breaking News ” segment that popped up on Global BCTV just a few moments ago. Horgan was introducing some of the members of his shadow cabinet:
You can watch the announcement here:
ht tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN6UAzYY8qg
Millman55 is much closer to the truth when describing the Liberals in this Province than Sparrow will ever be. Sparrow should change his name to Swallow, as he seems to be able to swallow all the Liberal BS without any problem.
When Harper and the Conservatives lost the last election, that was the end of that era. Harper has now moved on to other things, and I will decide at a later date if I will support the new leader and the Conservatives.
If you do not have the sense to realize that it is necessary to change Government from time to time, then in effect you are nothing more than a Liberal supporter without a mind of your own.
If we follow Sparrows (Swallows) point of view, we may as well set up a Monarchy and anoint Christy as the Queen of BC, and allow her to reign supreme, and have her son take over as King sometime in the future.
Swallows is a foolish comment. Makes the rest of your post not worth reading.
BC Liberals have been as big a disaster for BC as the NDP was, and would have been, and would be again if Horgan somehow manages to become Premier. The standard of living for the majority, yet an ever dwindling majority, has increased during the last 16 years. But our cost of living, for all of us, has increased faster. The fall-out, or collateral damage from this is visible for anyone to see who chooses to look. Burgeoning numbers of people who a homeless, or on the verge of it; more and more depending on food banks; the oft mentioned child poverty rate; and an increase in the cost of nearly all government provided services, with a corresponding decrease in what we’re getting for them. This is not a record of achievement that ANY Party should be proud of. It’s a record of abject failure. Of poor management, or no conception of it at all. I wouldn’t vote for EITHER of these two Parties. To say that the BC Liberals are “better” at anything is to say that we condone abject failure, and want more of it. They need to be thrown out on their ear. You may get something after they are that can do better. It won’t be the NDP. It has to be something that is not dominated by a self-serving clique, of either greedy downtown Vancouver manipulators, or a bunch of outdated, socialist, idiotic ideologues.
The following statement made by socredible is patently FALSE: “The standard of living for the majority, yet an ever dwindling majority, has increased during the last 16 years.” WRONG!
“B.C. experienced the worst income growth — in fact, incomes declined — of any province in Canada during the 2006-12 period, according to an analysis of Statistics Canada data by an Ottawa think-tank. B.C.’s inflation-adjusted median income fell 2.4 per cent, from $29,917 per tax filer to $29,200, during a period when Canada’s overall employment income grew by 3.5 per cent. Median income is the midway point between the lowest and highest incomes.” Wait… socredible, did it say BC experienced the worst income growth (actually a decline) of any province in Canada???
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