Friday October 21, 2022 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated 5:25 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Yesterday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with British Columbia Premier John Horgan for a working lunch in Vancouver.
In a news statement from the prime minister’s office, the two leaders “acknowledged with sadness the (recent) passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, noting the tremendous influence The Queen had throughout Canada during her 70-year reign”.
Health care priority:
The two leaders spoke about pressures on Canada’s health care systems, and agreed on the importance of federal, provincial, and territorial governments working together on accountable solutions to make measurable improvements for patients and health care workers.
Horgan made note of health care as a top topic of discussion, in his 12:15 pm media session in Victoria.
Horgan was, until recently, the chair of the Council of the Federation (COF), leading Canada’s premiers in a move to increase the Canada Health Transfer funding that is received from the federal government. The new COF chair is Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson.
Energy and natural resources:
According to the October 20 read-out issued by the prime minister’s office, Trudeau and Horgan also discussed opportunities for British Columbia and Canada to become reliable sources of energy and natural resources in a net-zero world.
Shared priorities moving forward:
The two leaders agreed to continue working closely together on shared priorities, including reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and economic development initiatives.
As Horgan said yesterday, this was likely the last in-person meeting he’d be having with Trudeau, as Horgan soon steps down from being the Premier of BC (by choice, for health reasons).
David Eby — who yesterday remained as the last BC NDP leadership candidate, will be sworn in as BC NDP Leader today (and will soon be sworn in as premier).
Trudeau in BC:
Trudeau will be in North Vancouver today.
Trudeau issued a statement welcoming David Eby as the next premier of BC, and added that he thanks John Horgan for his service as premier “particularly for his leadership on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and helping people during the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke Liberals will be having a dinner meeting on October 27 in Victoria.
===== RELATED:
- Horgan addresses media after Eby declared new Premier (October 20, 2022)
- Horgan’s last speech to municipal leaders (September 16, 2022)
- Premier Horgan on 5 years of delivering results for people (July 18, 2022)
- Trudeau wishes Horgan well on upcoming retirement on eve of Canada Health Transfer discussions (June 29, 2022)
- Looking back at Horgan on the west shore / photos (June 28, 2022)
- Premier Horgan not seeking reelection in 2024 (June 28, 2022)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends has been covering news of the west shore and south Vancouver Island since 2008.
Presenting the islandsocialtrends.ca news portal since mid-2020, the publication began as MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), then emerged as a weekly news publication Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), expanding to cover the fuller west shore with West Shore Voice News (2014-2020).
Publisher and editor: Mary P Brooke