Former BC Premier John Horgan dies

Photo: Darryl Dyck The Canadian Press John Horgan on his last full day as premier of British Columbia in Vancouver on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022.

Dirk Meissner – The Canadian Press

Published at 5:20 p.m.

• Canada

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Former British Columbia premier John Horgan died Tuesday at age 65 after a third battle with cancer.

Horgan served as British Columbia’s NDP premier for five years before stepping down in 2022. He was appointed Canada’s ambassador to Germany the following year.

But last June, Horgan announced he was taking a leave of absence after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. His family announced on social media Tuesday that Horgan died peacefully this morning at a Victoria hospital.

John Horgan, who served five terms as an NDP member of the British Columbia legislature, left his suburban Victoria seat in March 2023, citing health reasons. He had undergone more than 30 radiation treatments to battle throat cancer.

Horgan’s retirement from politics didn’t last long: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed him ambassador to Berlin eight months later, in November 2023.

Political scientist Hamish Telford, who teaches at the University of the Fraser Valley, says Horgan accomplished a rare feat in politics: He left office more popular than when he was first elected.