Former British Columbia premier John Horgan's wife Ellie Horgan, left, and their sons Nate, back centre, and Evan, front right, embrace during a state memorial in Colwood, B.C., on Dec. 15. Evan choked up after speaking at the memorial, saying he had hoped for more time with his father.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
About 3,000 people gathered on Sunday to honour the life of John Horgan, the popular former premier of British Columbia and Canada’s ambassador to Germany, after his death by cancer last month at the age of 65.
The attendees, who ranged from dignitaries and Indigenous elders to New Democratic Party loyalists and ordinary British Columbians, were present at a provincial state memorial service that was, at Mr. Horgan’s instructions, anything but stuffy.
The NDP premier from 2017 to 2022 is known for steering his province through climate catastrophes, the COVID-19 pandemic and divisive environmental battles. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his eulogy, described Mr. Horgan as “quick-witted and brilliant, but unflinching in his values and beliefs.”
But he was remembered Sunday for his litany of corny dad jokes, his love of sports and television series Star Trek, and his boundless energy for serving the people of British Columbia. The string of speakers shared light-hearted memories of a garrulous Irishman with an irrepressible sense of humour and an unerring sense of purpose and direction.
Mr. Trudeau described how Mr. Horgan, as the head of the Council of the Federation, sat him down in Victoria in 2022 for a long night of “too many pizzas and not enough beers” to hammer out an agreement between the federal government and the provinces on health care funding.
Disagreements over funding levels had marked decades of federal-provincial relations, but the COVID pandemic had exposed the cracks in the system, and Mr. Horgan was persuasive. The Prime Minister finally agreed to deliver tens of billions of dollars in new funding to reduce wait lists and boost mental-health supports.
“It was John who made it happen that night. That was one of his last acts as premier and I can’t think of a better legacy than that,” he told the service.
British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, Janet Austin, remembered Mr. Horgan as a leader who did not seek power: “Despite his many contributions and accomplishments, he was without ego,” she said. “He was entrusted with power because he would use it wisely and for all the right reasons.”
Mr. Horgan routinely polled as one of the country’s most popular premiers despite – or perhaps because – he led the province through one of its most tumultuous periods.
B.C.’s current NDP Premier, David Eby, Mr. Horgan’s successor, marvelled at his mentor’s popularity: “As politicians, a lot of us here are wondering – man, he left politics more popular than when he entered. How did he do it?”
Mr. Eby was one of the New Democrats who “strong-armed” Mr. Horgan into accepting the role as leader of the opposition in 2014 when the NDP ranks were demoralized by successive electoral defeats.
Mr. Horgan, as NDP leader, reinvented the party as a pragmatic and moderate centre-left vehicle that became electable again after 16 years of rejection by B.C. voters.
Mr. Eby listed Mr. Horgan’s broad scope of accomplishments in just five years as premier, from a transformative change in the relationship with First Nations to smaller but life-altering policies to waive tuition fees for former children in government care.
Sunday’s service was held not far from the Langford, B.C., neighbourhood where he grew up and later returned to raise a family and serve as MLA from 2005 to 2023.
Ravi Parmar, who replaced Mr. Hogan as the MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca, told reporters the former premier chose the Q Centre Arena in Colwood for the service because it is home to his beloved Victoria Shamrocks lacrosse team.
Mr. Parmar recalled how, as premier, Mr. Horgan would ditch his RCMP security detail on weekends to attend games with his wife, Ellie. On Sunday, their seats were reserved and draped in team jerseys.
Victoria Shamrocks jerseys are placed in seats where former British Columbia premier John Horgan and his wife Ellie Horgan would sit during games.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Carole James, who served as Mr. Horgan’s finance minister, noted that Mr. Horgan chaffed in the role as opposition leader because he could not enact change but came into his own when he found himself in the premier’s office: “No-one was more surprised than John by how much he loved the job.”
After leaving his role as B.C.’s 36th premier, Mr. Horgan was appointed as Canada’s ambassador to Germany last year.
He died at a Victoria hospital on Nov. 12 after his third bout with cancer since 2008. He is survived by his wife of 45 years and their two sons, Evan and Nate.
The crowd rose to their feet in applause for the two sons. Evan Horgan choked up as he said he had hoped for more time with his father.
“He taught us about integrity, humility, honesty,” he said, adding that his father didn’t really care for pomp and circumstance. He was always the same guy, John from Langford.”
Evan Horgan was the last member of the family to see his father before he died in hospital: “I asked him what he would want me to say about him. He said, ‘Just tell everyone to do their level best.’”
Editor’s note: Editor's note: an earlier version of this article incorrectly said that B.C. Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin had asked John Horgan to form a government in 2017. She was not the lieutenant governor at the time. This version has been corrected to remove that reference.