Vancouver is well represented in John Horgan's new B.C. NDP cabinet

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      Two former B.C. NDP leaders have received two of the most important portfolios in Premier John Horgan's new cabinet.

      Carole James (Victoria–Beacon Hill) has been appointed as finance minister and deputy premier.

      Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway) is the new health minister.

      Vancouver has five other cabinet mininsters in addition to Dix:

      • Melanie Mark (Vancouver–Mount Pleasant) is minister of advanced education, skills and training;

      • Shane Simpson (Vancouver-Hastings) is the minister of social development and poverty reduction;

      • David Eby (Vancouver–Point Grey) is the attorney general and the minister responsible for ICBC, liquor, and lotteries;

      • George Heyman (Vancouver-Fairview) is the minister of environment and climate change strategy;

      • and George Chow (Vancouver-Fraserview) is the minister of state for trade.

      The only two Vancouver NDP MLAs left out of cabinet also happen to be the only two openly LGBT MLAs from the city: Spencer Chandra Herbert (Vancouver–West End) and Mable Elmore (Vancouver-Kensington). Elmore is the parliamentary secretary for poverty reduction.

      Former NDP president Bruce Ralston (Surrey-Whalley) is the minister of jobs, trade and technology. Other Surrey MLAs in cabinet are Jinny Sims (Surrey-Panorama) as the minister of citizens' services and Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton) as the minister of labour.

      Coquitlam-Maillardville's Selina Robinson is the minister of municipal affairs and housing.

      Burnaby's only cabinet minister is rookie Katrina Chen (Burnaby-Lougheed), who's minister of state for child care. Anne Kang (Burnaby–Deer Lake) is the parliamentary secretary for seniors.

      The new education minister is Rob Fleming (Victoria–Swan Lake) and the agriculture minister is Lana Popham (Saanich South). 

      New Westminster NDP MLA Judy Darcy is the minister of mental health and addictions. Mike Farnworth (Port Coquitlam) is the minister of public safety and solicitor general.

      Important resource portfolios were given to MLAs outside of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources went to Michelle Mungall (Nelson-Creston). Doug Donaldson (Stikine) is responsible for forests, lands, natural resource operations, and rural development.

      Katrine Conway (Kootenay West) is the minister of children and family development.

      Scott Fraser (Mid Island–Pacific Rim) is the minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation. The new minister of tourism, arts and culture is Lisa Beare (Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows).

      Like former premier Christy Clark, Horgan has chosen an MLA from outside of the Lower Mainland, Claire Trevena (North Island), as transportation minister. North Vancouver–Lonsdale NDP MLA Bowinn Ma has been named parliamentary secretary for TransLInk.

      Other parliamentary secretaries are Jennifer Rice (North Coast) for emergency preparedness; Ravi Kahlon (Delta North) for sport and multiculturalism; and Rick Glumac (Port Moody–Coquitlam) for technology.

      Horgan shut the City of Nanaimo out of his cabinet. Veteran MLAs Leonard Krog (Nanaimo) and Doug Routley (Nanaimo–North Cowichan) were both part of the baker's dozen of MLAs who wanted Carole James replaced in 2010, which led to bitter rift in the party. Another member of this group who was excluded from cabinet or becoming a parliamentary secretary was Nicholas Simons (Powell River–Sunshine Coast)

      Other members of the baker's dozen—Trevena, Popham, and Conroy—were appointed to cabinet.

      The speaker has still not been named but it could be Raj Chouhan (Burnaby-Edmonds), who served as the deputy speaker prior to the election.

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