John Horgan

John Joseph Horgan (born August 7, 1959) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to Germany since 2023.

Horgan was born on August 7, 1959, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the son of Alice May (Clutterbuck) and Pat Horgan.

His father's passing when he was just 18 months old left his mother to raise him and his three siblings.

He worked multiple jobs to save money for university, including at a pulp mill in Ocean Falls.

Horgan met his wife Ellie Horgan in 1979 while studying at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

They have two sons together.

In 1983, Horgan earned a Bachelor of Arts from Trent.

He waited tables at the Keg in Victoria before earning his master's degree in history from the University of Sydney in 1986.

Returning to Canada he went to Ottawa and worked as a legislative assistant to James Manly and later to Lynn Hunter.

Horgan returned to Victoria in 1991 and became ministerial assistant to Dave Zirnhelt.

His positions from 1991 through 1998 saw him assume increasing responsibilities within government, including lead negotiator on the Columbia Basin Trust and as a participant on teams for the Columbia River Treaty and Land Use Plans.

In 1993, he was named analyst in the Policy Coordination Branch of the Ministry of Government Services, and in 1996, director at the Cabinet Policy and Communications Secretariat, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Relations.

On November 8, with the final vote count completed, the NDP won a record 57 seats with the highest share of the popular vote in the party's history and formed a majority government for the first time since the 1996 general election.

The election result made Horgan British Columbia's first two-term NDP premier.

During his second term, Horgan became the longest serving BC NDP premier in the province's history.

On June 28, 2022, Horgan announced that he would be stepping down as premier and NDP party leader once a new leader had been chosen.

Horgan was succeeded by David Eby on November 18, 2022.

On November 1, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Horgan would be appointed as Canada's ambassador to Germany.

Horgan presented his credentials to the German president on December 8.

In 1998, he worked as a director in the Crown Corporations Secretariat before going on to work at Columbia Power as director of Corporate Affairs, focusing on getting Keenleyside and Brilliant dams repowered.

In 1999, he was appointed chief of staff in the office of Premier Dan Miller.

His last job in government was at the level of associate deputy minister working in the Ministry of Finance on energy projects.

Horgan was the first NDP premier of the province since Ujjal Dosanjh in 2001.

Horgan was the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Langford-Juan de Fuca and its predecessors from 2005 to 2023.

Horgan was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia.

In June 2006, he was appointed the Official Opposition critic for the Ministry of Energy and Mines in New Democrat leader Carole James' shadow cabinet, having previously served as the Official Opposition critic for the Ministry of Education.

In 2008, Horgan was diagnosed with bladder cancer; he was eventually declared cancer free after surgery and treatment.

In January 2011, he announced his candidacy for leadership of the BC NDP in the 2011 leadership election, finishing third.

Following the leadership election, he was appointed the Official Opposition critic for Energy, and Opposition house leader.

He was replaced by Bruce Ralston as Opposition house leader following his entry into the 2014 leadership election.

On March 17, 2014, he announced his candidacy in the 2014 leadership election, with the slogan "Real Leadership. For All BC".

During the campaign he talked at length about the necessity of balancing the need for jobs and resource development, while protecting BC's natural environment.

Horgan was acclaimed to the position on May 1, 2014, and was officially inaugurated as party leader on May 5, 2014.

Horgan served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022, and also as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2014 to 2022.

In the 2017 provincial election held on May 9, 2017, Premier Christy Clark's BC Liberal government was reduced to 43 seats, one seat short of a majority.

On May 29, 2017, it was announced that the NDP and Green Party of British Columbia had reached a confidence and supply agreement in which the Greens would support an NDP minority government for four years.

After the legislature was recalled, Clark sought its confidence in the Liberal government.

Following a non-confidence motion on June 29, 2017, which was won (44–42) by the combined votes of the NDP and Green members, Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon turned down Clark's request for a snap election and invited the NDP to form a minority government.

Subsequently, Horgan succeeded Clark as the premier of British Columbia.

On September 21, 2020, Horgan called a snap election that was held on October 24.