Saturday July 27, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
This is not exactly news, because few people would expect Mike Farnworth to do otherwise.
But continued longevity of the BC NDP party thread is indicated in the declaration that Farnworth is seeking re-election for a seventh time in the lower mainland riding of Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, as announced back on July 19. As Farnworth seems unshakable, so does the BC NDP.
When former Premier John Horgan delivered some outgoing remarks in the BC Legislature in 2023, he noted with a chuckle of admiration that Farnworth had been there ‘forever’. He’s a fixture in the place. Quiet, staunch, there for the long haul.
Farnworth was first elected as MLA for Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain in 1991 and re-elected in 1996, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017.
“When we formed government in 2017, it was a mess — with millions in money laundering in our casinos, overstretched and underfunded teams and crime labs unable to keep up with crime,” said Farnworth in a BC NDP news release on July 19.
The party calls him “a seasoned legislative veteran who has served in cabinet under five BC NDP Premiers”. Farnworth has held the role of Deputy Premier since 2021, and is also the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
Farnworth served as the Official Opposition critic for Justice (Public Safety and Solicitor General), and as the Official Opposition Caucus House Leader. At different points in time he has been Minister of Health and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Farnworth was raised in Port Coquitlam, and has lived there for over 50 years with his partner of more than three decades.
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