Memorial held for former premier John Horgan Sunday

Political figures, family members, and friends spoke at former B.C. premier John Horgan’s memorial on Vancouver Island Saturday.

Thousands gathered at an arena in Colwood, to celebrate the life of the former politician.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance, and he told a story highlighting Horgan’s wit and humour during their first meeting.

“The media assembled in front of us, he was asked a slightly uncomfortable question about a certain piece of pipeline infrastructure, which was a topic of some disagreement between the two of us,” Trudeau said, referring to the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“Starting his answer, he raised his hand about to get into an animated response, and knocked over his glass of water, spilling it over the lectern and onto the floor. Without missing a beat. John looked up and deadpanned, ‘Spills can happen anywhere.’”

Others in attendance included the current Premier David Eby.

Horgan stepped down in November 2022 after five years as premier, left politics a few months later, then was quickly appointed the ambassador to Germany in November 2023.

But just eight months into his new post, he announced he had cancer for a third time, this time thyroid cancer, after being treated for throat cancer while he was premier and bladder cancer in 2008.

He died on Nov. 12 at the age of 65.