Premier David Eby’s new cabinet members are scheduled to be sworn in on Nov. 18 following judicial recounts that are expected to be completed this week. (Ken Mizokoshi/CBC)
Dirk Meissner · The Canadian Press · Posted: Nov 06, 2024
Recounts are scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday
British Columbia’s new cabinet is set to be sworn in on Nov. 18, one month after the provincial election that gave Premier David Eby’s NDP the slimmest of majorities, pending recounts.
A statement from Eby’s office says the swearing-in dates of cabinet and members of the legislature have been set based on the judicial recounts in three ridings and reporting information from Elections B.C.
Eby is conducting interviews this week with every member of the NDP caucus ahead of the cabinet swearing in.
The 47 New Democrats, including Eby, are enough to give the party a one-seat majority in the legislature, pending recounts.
Of the NDP’s new caucus, 29 are returning members of the legislature, and 18 are newly elected.
The recounts for Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna City Centre will be on Nov. 7 and 8. They were triggered due to the close finish between the NDP and Conservative candidates in those ridings.
A recount for the riding of Prince George-Mackenzie, which the Conservative candidate won by more than 5,000 votes, is scheduled for Nov. 8 after Elections B.C. discovered a ballot box containing 861 votes that had not been part of the initial count.
Eby says the recounts will ensure that every British Columbian’s vote is heard.
After those recounts, he says B.C. residents want to see “urgent action” on priorities including affordability and housing, health care, and building a strong economy.
Eby says the first step is swearing in the new cabinet at a ceremony in Victoria, where he will present his recommendations to Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin.
The cabinet-building job for Eby involves leaning on a reduced list of steady, veteran hands and taking chances on a fresh batch of exuberant but untested New Democrats, largely from urban ridings, said David Black, an associate professor in communications and culture at Greater Victoria’s Royal Roads University.
“You want people, especially in the more senior ministries who you can trust to have the managerial competence, and have presumably had a time in office previously, cabinet if at all possible,” Black said Wednesday.
He said he estimated Eby could have up to a dozen cabinet positions to fill, including new ministers in finance, transportation, labour, Indigenous relations, education, environment and agriculture.
- B.C.’s chief electoral officer defends election integrity as premier proposes all-party review into counting
- Conservative leader seeks independent review as Elections B.C. says box of 861 votes went uncounted
But Black said the bedrock ministers of housing, health and public safety were all re-elected, giving Eby a strong cabinet foundation.
He said he expected Ravi Kahlon to retain his post at housing, Mike Farnworth to stay on as solicitor general and public safety minister, but Adrian Dix could move from health.
Black also expected the environment, despite pressure from two Green members, could take a lower profile within cabinet now that Eby promised to drop the carbon tax if federal regulations are relaxed.
But a major cabinet issue, and one Eby has spoken about since Oct. 19, is the NDP’s lack of an elected presence in B.C.’s rural and northern communities, he said.
The New Democrats elected five members from outside of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, but the defeat of former cabinet minister Nathan Cullen in Smithers was a huge blow, said Black.
“Vernon is not the north in the way that Nathan Cullen was the north,” he said. “He’s going to have to find, and it’s hard, somebody who’s going to be his minister for the north.”
