Eby’s cabinet appointments put new face on BC government

It is perhaps cliché to suggest that in politics, every challenge also brings opportunity.  

However, some disappointments in the recent provincial election have given Premier David Eby the space to reshape his cabinet and the team that will be guiding the province’s policy and legislation for the next mandate, no matter how long that may be. 

Twelve people who began 2024 in cabinet are now gone: seven through retirement and five through electoral defeat. 

With the exceptions of Adrian Dix, Mike Farnworth, Lana Popham and Lisa Beare, there is little resemblance between the cabinet appointed today and the one that was chaired by the late John Horgan from 2017-2022. 

Critics and partisans will point out potential trouble ahead with this loss of veteran bench strength. 

However, this change has opened a myriad of possibilities for Eby.  

The BC NDP cabinet that was sworn in today is young, diverse, gender balanced, has Indigenous and regional representation, boasts talent from outside of government and still has sufficient experience in key areas to manage the most challenging portfolios.  

As expected, Eby has filled his front benches with people who are in his circle of trust. 

Niki Sharma, one of the brightest lights in the Eby cabinet, is now Deputy Premier as well as Attorney General. Eby endorsed her 2020 candidacy in Vancouver-Hastings and his opinion of her has only grown. 

He is far from alone in that view. 

In addition to serving as Minister for Transportation and Transit, veteran cabinet minister Mike Farnworth is back in as House Leader, the role he served in the Horgan Cabinet. Given the one-vote majority the government currently holds and the potential peril that goes with it, it makes sense to use Farnworth’s skills and experience in this important role. 

Josie Osborne and Brenda Bailey, among the most respected cabinet ministers from the class of 2020, are taking on bigger files. Osborne has now been given the job of wrestling the monster that is the Ministry of Health and Mental Health and Addictions, which is combined once again. Bailey is now Minister of Finance and has been given the unenviable task of getting the province’s finances under control. 

Professional engineer and North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma is now Minister for Infrastructure after a strong showing on the Emergency Management and Climate Readiness file. 

Not surprisingly, Adrian Dix is out as Health Minister. Seven years in that job is the equivalent of several eternities. However, his big brain and energy will be put to work on Energy and Climate Solutions. 

Eby also showed his confidence by returning several ministers to positions where they previously served in either the Eby or Horgan cabinets including Ravi Kahlon in Housing (adding Municipal Affairs), Grace Lore in the Ministry of Children and Family Development in British Columbia, George Chow in Citizens Services, Anne Kang in Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, and Lana Popham in Agriculture and Food. 

Surrey-Fleetwood MLA Jagrup Brar has been given a new standalone Ministry for Mining and Critical Minerals, which echoes the party’s election commitments around natural resource development, and his former position as Minister of State for Trade is now filled by Port-Moody Burquitlam MLA Rick Glumac. 

The BC NDP won all but one seat in the City of Vancouver and Eby has rewarded the province’s largest city with several new ministers including Terry Yung (Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services), Christine Boyle (Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation), and long-time West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert (Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport). 

Vancouver Island also delivered for Eby, and its benches now include several new cabinet ministers including new Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar and first-time MLA from Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Diana Gibson, is Minister for Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. 

Eby has also brought in MLAs who were in tough fights in the last election including Garry Begg in Surrey Guilford (Public Safety and Solicitor General), Kelly Greene in Richmond-Steveston (Emergency Management and Climate Readiness) and Jodie Wickens in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain (Minister of State for Childcare and Youth Support Needs). 

Here is the list of the new BC Cabinet as announced at the ceremony this afternoon: 

• David Eby – Premier, President of Executive Council 

• Brittny Anderson – Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities 

• Lana Popham -Minister of Agriculture and Food 

• Grace Lore – Minister of Children and Family Development 

• George Chow – Minister of Citizens Services  

• Lisa Beare – Minister of Education and Child Care 

• Jodie Wickens – Minister of State For Childcare and Youth support needs 

• Kelly Greene –Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness 

• Adrian Dix – Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions 

• Tamara Davidson – Minister of Environment and Parks 

• Brenda Bailey – Minister of Finance 

• Ravi Parmar – Ministry of Forests 

• Josie Osborne – Minister of Health 

• Ravi Kahlon – Minister for Housing and Municipal Affairs 

• Christina Boyle – Minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation 

• Bowinn Ma – Minister for Infrastructure 

• Diana Gibson – Minister for Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation 

• Rick Glumac – Minister of State for Trade 

• Jennifer Whiteside – Minister of Labour 

• Jagrup Brar – Minister for Mining and Critical Minerals 

• Anne Kang – Minister for Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills 

• Garry Begg – Minister for Public Safety and Solicitor General 

• Terry Yung – Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services 

• Sheila Malcomson – Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction 

• Spencer Chandra Herbert – Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport 

• Mike Farnworth – Minister of Transportation and Transit and House Leader

• Randene Neill – Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship  

• Niki Sharma – Attorney General and Deputy Premier 

Counsel Public Affairs has a strong line of sight into the new BC cabinet and will continue to provide analysis during the upcoming short sitting of the Legislature and throughout the new BC government’s mandate. Mandate letters are expected to be issued in January of 2025 with the new Budget following in February.