BC NDP swears in next provincial cabinet

The Executive Council of British Columbia was sworn in Monday, with some new faces to the BC NDP stepping into cabinet roles.

Many of the 47 New Democrat MLAs, including Premier David Eby, took the stage in Victoria to swear oaths and announce the executive council that will lead the next provincial government, nearly one month since the 2024 election.

The new cabinet includes 23 ministers and four ministers of state, including Eby. The complete list returning and newly-assigned cabinet is as follows:

•  Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities: Brittny Anderson
• Agriculture and Food: Lana Popham
• Attorney General and Deputy Premier: Niki Sharma
• Children and Family Development: Grace Lore
• Citizens’ Services: George Chow
• Education and Child Care: Lisa Beare
• Minister of State for Child Care and Children and Youth with Support Needs: Jodie Wickens
• Emergency Management and Climate Readiness: Kelly Greene
• Energy and Climate Solutions: Adrian Dix
• Environment and Parks: Tamara Davidson
• Finance: Brenda Bailey
• Forests: Ravi Parmar
• Health: Josie Osborne
• Housing and Municipal Affairs: Ravi Kahlon
• Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation: Christine Boyle
• Infrastructure: Bowinn Ma
• Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation: Diana Gibson
• Minister of State for Trade: Rick Glumac
• Labour: Jennifer Whiteside
• Mining and Critical Minerals: Jagrup Brar
• Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills: Anne Kang
• Public Safety and Solicitor General: Garry Begg
• Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services: Terry Yung
• Social Development and Poverty Reduction: Sheila Malcolmson
• Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport: Spencer Chandra Herbert
• Transportation and Transit and House Leader: Mike Farnworth
• Water, Land and Resource Stewardship: Randene Neill

University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford says Eby faced a major challenge with a dozen ministers not coming back to the legislature after the election.

“Seven decided not to run, and five were not re-elected, so he was going to have to bring in new people. He had very little choice in the matter from rural areas, so he had to put rookies straight into cabinet and some going into big positions like the environment. That’s going to be a huge learning curve for these new MLAs,” Telford explained.

He says they’ll have to learn how to be a first-time MLA while managing a ministry as well. 

“You don’t want people rushing into the job and making costly mistakes right away. But the public is anxious to see action, and that’s now going to be the challenge for the government going forward.”

Among the many changes, B.C.’s longest-serving health minister, Adrian Dix, has been shuffled over to the Ministry of Energy and Climate. In Dix’s place, Eby has appointed former Tofino Mayor, Josie Osborne.

Eby says addressing the health and public safety portfolios was a priority.

“Those are big and challenging issues right across Canada. We’ve made some good ground on those,” said Eby, speaking to media after the swearing in ceremony.

The premier noted that there are now two former police officers in cabinet positions. 

Terry Yung, a former Vancouver Police Department officer, was appointed minister of Community Safety and Integrated Services.

Surrey-Guildford MLA Gary Begg will be taking over the Ministry for Public Safety, with its former leader, Mike Farnworth, now in charge of transportation. Begg, who worked in leadership positions in the RCMP for nearly 40 years, won his riding by a mere 22 votes.

“Having Terry [Yung]’s perspective and Gary [Begg]’s perspective and how we integrate those things as former frontline police officers can be absolutely vital. So it’s not just police; it’s not just social service programs. It’s actually how these things work together to get us out of this major crisis that’s afflicting not just British Columbia but communities across North America,” said Eby.

As for Dix, Eby says he hopes his replacement shows how critical the energy sector is of critical importance. “The job creation that it represents… I need someone who can deliver. And Adrian [Dix] is that minister.”

Telford says he was most surprised to see rookie North Coast-Haida Gwaii MLA Tamara Davidson sent to the Environment and Parks ministry.

“Climate change is a hugely important issue,” Telford explained. “I have every reason to believe that she’s a very capable woman, but it is a huge step up in and into a very, very important role. So for me, that was perhaps the biggest surprise of the day.”

Some other fresh faces brought into the executive council include Randene Neill and Christine Boyle.

Women make up the majority of the new cabinet, many of whom have taken on some of the province’s biggest mandates: Niki Sharma is now the deputy premier, coupled with her previous role as the attorney general; Bowinn Ma has returned as the new Minister for Infrastructure; and Brenda Bailey is the new Minister of Finance.

“I can’t wait to get started to build a province where no one gets left behind, where everyone is included, and where we work together every single day to build a British Columbia that every person deserves,” said Eby.

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—With files from Michael Williams and Kier Junos