Premier Horgan's farewell to UBCM makes for personal review of his political travels

Premier John Horgan delivered his final address to a UBCM
Gathering today, his comments bringing an end to the five days
of convention going for delegates from across the province.
(Photo from UBCM convention)

Today marked the final appearance at a UBCM convention for Premier John Horgan as the closing act, the Premier assigned the Friday 11AM as traditional holds to deliver the final comments for this years political gathering of municipal and provincial officials.

As it also marks the count down to the Premier stepping down from his post, the thirty seven minute address focused more on the political travels of Mr. Horgan than themes on municipal government or major announcements.

His narrative taking the delegates through his seventeen years in the Legislature and eight as either an opposition or leader of Premier of the province.

Mr. Horgan noted of the speed meetings of the week at UBCM and how those sessions offered up opportunities for officials from many communities to make their case on pressing issues from their hometowns.

He also called attention to the recent times, with virtual meetings and  workarounds through COVID, as well as to offer a nod to the upcoming political campaign period for the municipalities and how some leaders are retiring from office and maybe a few will be retired by the voters.

Towards the three orders of government the Premier put the focus on how the local level is key.

"And all of us at the end of the day come from a Local government. 

I am first and foremost a resident of Langford, I am secondarily a resident of British Columbia and I am lastly a proud citizen of Canada.

But It starts every day when we get up in our hometown, in our own neighbourhood. And all of us, all of us decided to pursue public life with one goal in mind to make life better for our neighbours.

Wherever we lived, whatever order we aspired to reach too, we did it with one thing in mind.

Not self aggrandizement,  Not pats on the back. But doing what we could to make life better for the people that we saw each and every day"

His notes for the audience touched on the key issues of the moment, health care, housing and social concerns and safety in communities. Acknowledging that there is still work to be done and a need for collaboration and a commitment towards finding solutions.

There was some news for the Northwest and Haida Gwaii from the Premier's address, he noted of the work on Reconciliation in the province, taking a few crib notes from Municipal Affair's Minister Nathan Cullen's presentation of earlier this week.

Mr. Horgan noting of the recent ceremony on Haida Gwaii that returned the name of Daajing Giids to the community formerly known as Queen Charlotte.

"What was really profound about being there was that this was reconciliation from the ground up. 

A non-Indigenous Council, reaching out to the Indigenous peoples of Haida Gwaii and asking how should we go forward. 

Extensive collaboration starting from the council, reaching out to the people and doing something historic ... 

But what moved me about being with Kris and his Council and the people of Daajing Giids and the people of Haida Gwaii, was that it was a celebration. 

It was a recognition and a reminder that although Kris and his Council were not Haida, by birth, they were Haida by presence. 

The land that they live on, that they're proud to part of, is the Haida Nation.  Acknowledged and named as it would be in the Haida Nation ...

That's reconciliation, that's an acknowledgment of where you are and how important as it is to be part of the greater thing which is this experiment called Canada and British Columbia. 

So I lift my hand to Kris and his Council for their leadership"

The Premier also, spoke of the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Northwest BC Resource Benefits Association this week, which will chart the course forward towards finding some common ground on the issues that have been raised from the region.

"We want to make sure that the Northwest has the same opportunity to benefit from the resources that are in their territories, on unneeded territory, stay as best as we can in those communities.  That's the objective of the RBA and that's what we'll continue to do"

The road to that common ground will however be one followed by others. 

First most likely David Eby, the presumed Premier in waiting once the BC NDP leadership campaign which is now underway comes to an end.

Of course, with the prospect of a provincial election looming on the horizon, the job of reaching out to the regions could also fall to Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon, who made the BC Liberals case for governance on Thursday. 

Or, should BC voters go completely off the recent script, they may turn to the Green Party's Sonia Fursteanu, who also spoke to the convention this week, to navigate the waters with future gatherings at UBCM conventions.

Those are political talking points for the future, today, was about the Premier.

His speech to the UBCM today, perhaps a glimpse of what will be his final farewell to political life later this fall when he steps down from his post for the congregation at the Legislature.

You can view the presentation to the delegates below:

More notes on the UBCM convention can be explored here.

A wider overview of provincial themes can be found from our archive pages here. 

While our political blog D'Arcy McGee provides a larger review of the scene from Victoria.