July 19, 2017
Victoria, BC – On Tuesday July 18th, by special invitation, ANCC Western Region representatives Vahe Andonian and Hagop Der Agopian attended Government House in Victoria, home of the Lieutenant Governor, for the swearing-in ceremony of British Columbia’s 36th Premier, Hon. John Horgan and his cabinet.
During the ceremonies, long-time friend of the Armenian community Hon. Adrian Dix was appointed as Minister of Health. The 22 member cabinet is made up of 11 women and 11 men.
The New Democrats (NDP) take office with a one-seat edge over the Liberals after reaching a deal with the three Green members of the legislature elected on May 9. The Liberals won 43 of the 87 seats in the legislature, but the government of former Liberal premier Christy Clark was defeated in a confidence vote last month.
The new Premier pledged his readiness to start governing immediately in the interest of all British Columbians, and with urgent attention to the raging wildfires in the interior which have displaced over 40,000 people in recent days.
After the ceremony the ANCC (Armenian National Committee of Canada) representatives had a chance to congratulate the new Premier who thanked them for the Armenian community’s support and promised to keep his close ties with the community.
The ANCC delegation stayed for the reception after the ceremony and had candid conversations with the new cabinet members and other attending MPs and MLAs, discussing provincial and community issues. They also acknowledged the leader of the Green Party, whose 3 members have pledged to support the NDP government to give it a majority in the House.
