Reaction continues to pour in regarding former BC Premier John Horgan who passed away following a battle with cancer.
Nechako Lakes MLA and BC Conservatives Leader John Rustad was first elected to the legislature in 2005, the same year as Horgan – he will never forget John’s quick work on fixing a major issue at the Mount Milligan mine.
“They were running out of water and it was going to be a year or two before they could get permits. That would have shut down the mine, people would have lost their jobs and when John Horgan was premier I called him up and I went to have a visit with him in his office – I told him about the issue and he put his deputy on it. Within a month and a half we managed to get permits for them to keep the mine open.”
Simply put, Rustad stated Horgan had the ability to put aside party differences and listen to the issues that were on the radar of others.
“He was somebody that was able to reach out and build a coalition (with the BC Greens in 2017) and it is something that is sometimes rare in politics to find. He is a very interesting individual in terms of what he actually tried to do and what he accomplished. Holding any sort of coalition is never easy but he was able to do that because he could bridge the differences.”
“I served on numerous committees with him over the years and we would always joke and chat a little bit. We recognized that politics is politics and people are people and so there was always the opportunity to get along, chat and to talk about the things we were trying to work towards instead of the verbal sparring you often see in the media,” added Rustad.
Former Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris says even though they were on opposite sides of the legislature, John was always a down-to-earth kind of guy.
“We had a great chit-chat overlooking the Vancouver waterfront for about 10 or 15 minutes talking about almost everything whether it was about work or about sports as well as some sports injuries he has had and I have had and kind of compare notes. He was just that kind of a guy.”
Like Rustad, Morris stated Horgan’s ability to be open and honest with people was something to admire.
“Away from the legislature, I have had a few encounters with John and we got along well, very amicable, down-to-earth and, kind of a grassroots kind of guy. He was a straight shooter, he didn’t play any games and he let you know what was going on at any given time.”
“He was genuinely interested in helping the people. He didn’t have any ego to fill and he was just trying to do his job the best he could in whatever capacity he was in. I admire him for that.”
Horgan died yesterday (Tuesday) at the age of 65 while serving as Canada’s Ambassador to Germany.
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