Eby Announces a ‘New Team’ to Run BC

B.C. Premier David Eby appointed a new cabinet Monday that gives several veterans new responsibilities, adds some rookie MLAs and reorganizes key ministries.

“We’ve got a new team up here,” Eby said onstage at Government House in Victoria, pointing out that the majority of the ministers are women.

One of the biggest changes moves Adrian Dix out of Health and makes him responsible for Energy and Climate Solutions. Dix served as health minister since the NDP formed government in 2017 and saw the province through the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s replaced by Josie Osborne, who represents Mid Island-Pacific Rim and brings a small-town perspective to the job as a former mayor of Tofino. Osborne said she is dedicated to improving access to services and that Dix leaves big shoes to fill.

Eby also eliminated the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, created in 2017 to address the toxic drug emergency. Critics have long argued it lacked the resources and clout to be successful. The Ministry of Health will again have responsibility.

Osborne said it was a big step to create the Mental Health and Addictions Ministry and that past ministers did phenomenal work.

“It is time now to integrate and work together, bring this together and be able to take that more flexible approach.”

Eby said the election results showed the toxic drug crisis and its impact in communities were a priority for voters.

“I hope they see with this cabinet that we take that very seriously.”

Eby said he also understood from voters that they want safe communities, good jobs, a prosperous province, access to health care and a family doctor, calling them “the basics.” Priorities include working in partnership with Indigenous people, controlling costs like housing and car insurance and delivering a tax cut, he said.

“Ours will be a government that listens, and ours will be a government that delivers. We’re going to work hard on the things that matter to British Columbians.”

Another veteran minister, Mike Farnworth, leaves Public Safety and Solicitor General to be replaced by Garry Begg, a former police officer who won by 22 votes in Surrey-Guildford.

Eby introduced him as “landslide Garry Begg.”

Farnworth will be responsible for Transportation and Transit, as well as returning to being the government house leader.

Other moves include Brenda Bailey to Finance, Lisa Beare to Education, Jennifer Whiteside to Labour, Anne Kang to Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and Bowinn Ma to a newly created Infrastructure Ministry. The new ministry will be responsible for building major capital projects such as schools and hospitals.

Returning to the positions they held before the election are Grace Lore in the Ministry of Children and Family Development, George Chow in Citizens’ Services and Sheila Malcolmson in Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

Ravi Kahlon retains responsibility for Housing and adds Municipal Affairs, making him the main liaison with local governments.

Eby said Kahlon’s work on housing has been widely recognized and it made sense to link the file back to municipal affairs. Housing had recently been a stand-alone ministry but has been joined with various other ministries over the decades.

“One of the big challenges has been ensuring that the rules that govern municipalities and local governments are consistent with our housing goals,” Eby said. “Putting those together in the same ministry reflects that they are directly linked.”

Lana Popham moves from Tourism back to Agriculture, a position she held previously.

MLAs joining cabinet who were elected as MLAs for the first time in October include Christine Boyle in Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation; Diana Gibson in Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation; Tamara Davidson in Environment and Parks; and Randene Neill to Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

Promotions from backbench or junior cabinet positions include Ravi Parmar to Forests; Spencer Chandra Herbert to Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport; Kelly Greene to Emergency Management and Climate Readiness; and Jagrup Brar to Mining and Critical Minerals.

In total there are 23 ministers, four ministers of state, 14 parliamentary secretaries and the premier.

The NDP will put forward Raj Chouhan to return as the Speaker and Mable Elmore to be deputy Speaker.

Eby said the NDP and the BC Green Party are continuing discussions on how to work together for the people of the province and provide the government with added stability. There are 47 NDP MLAs, 44 BC Conservatives and two Greens, giving the government the narrowest possible majority.

Both newly elected Green MLAs were at the cabinet announcement, as was leader Sonia Furstenau and former MLA Adam Olsen, who has a new job as a negotiator for the Tsartlip First Nation.

“It’s a good mix,” Olsen said of Eby’s choices. “I think he’s made the best with what he had available. He’s put together a good cabinet.”

He said he liked the mix of veterans and new ministers and was particularly pleased to see Niki Sharma as deputy premier, Begg as solicitor general and Boyle in Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. “It’s tricky to balance all the things that need to be balanced.”

The government also announced Monday that the interim chief of staff to Eby will be Jim Rutkowski, who was previously a senior official in former premier Rachel Notley’s NDP government in Alberta and in Carole James’ office in B.C. when she led the NDP opposition.