Premier David Eby shuffled his cabinet Thursday in what he called a “strategic” move to respond to a world that has changed since his B.C. NDP were elected last fall.
Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia presided over the ceremony at Government House in Victoria.
Some current cabinet ministers were shuffled to new roles.
Ravi Kahlon returns as jobs minister — a role he held from 2020-2022.
He succeeds Diana Gibson, who is taking over the Citizen’s Services portfolio from George Chow.
Chow is now parliamentary secretary for the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown.
Christine Boyle takes over Kahlon’s previous role as Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
Boyle was minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation — a role now held by Spencer Chandra-Herbert.
Anne Kang takes over for Chandra-Herbert as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Surrey-Newton MLA Jessie Sunner, who was previously parliamentary secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, joins the cabinet as Minister of Post-Secondary and Future Skills.
Victoria-Swan Lake MLA Nina Krieger is also a new addition to cabinet, taking over as Minister for Public Safety and Solicitor General. Krieger was previously parliamentary secretary for arts and film.
Former public safety minister Gary Begg was moved to the role of parliamentary secretary for Surrey infrastructure.
Amna Shah is now parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions.
Rick Glumac takes on the newly created role of Minister of State for AI and New Technologies — leaving his role as Minister of State for Trade.
Paul Choi is the new parliamentary secretary for trade a broader role than his previous position focused on Asia-Pacific trade.
New ministers take on trade tensions, public safety threats
The threat of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty caused by the Trump administration led Eby to scrap some key campaign promises he made ahead of the October’s election, including an annual $1,000 tax cut for middle-class British Columbians.
The most recent threats from U.S. President Donald Trump include a 35 per cent tariff on all goods outside of the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement.
“We need to ensure that we have the skills and the ministers in the right place to meet this moment,” said Eby.
The shuffle also comes amid flagging confidence in the B.C. NDP government among the business community, despite Eby’s repeated line that he aims to make B.C. “Canada’s economic engine.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said in its July report that B.C. small business confidence fell five points.
“Summer is peak season for many businesses, so to see business confidence move backwards in this key period is concerning,” said Ryan Mitton, CFIB’s Director of Legislative Affairs for B.C.
The government pushed through legislation just ahead of Parliament’s summer break that would fast-track certain infrastructure and renewable energy projects. Bill 14 and 15 were criticized by First Nations and the Union of B.C. Municipalities, who said it constitutes government overreach and a breach of First Nations rights to consultation on projects.
The Business Council of B.C. had expressed cautious support for the bills, saying elements of the legislation align in their previous recommendations.
“However, these changes fall short of providing the long-term solutions needed to truly fix delays in B.C.’s permitting regime,” said the council in a May 5th statement.
Eby has also seen political backlash from B.C. Ferries’ decision to award a major contract to a Chinese state-owned shipyard. The B.C. Ferries deal was roundly criticized by the Opposition Conservatives, unions, and even federal transport minister Chrystia Freeland.
Eby expressed disappointment that no Canadian shipyards bid on the contract, but said the four new vessels are “urgently needed” and his government wouldn’t try to intervene in the deal.
The change-up in the public safety portfolio comes as the province contends with calls from municipalities, including the provincial capital, for more help addressing street disorder and mental health.
Krieger said Thursday she has heard the concerns of community members and businesses around street disorder.
“I’m looking forward to working with all my colleagues in Cabinet to tackle these complex issues,” she said.
A surge in organized crime and extortion targeting South Asian communities as also been a high-profile issue in recent months, and Eby has called on the federal government to designate the India-based Lawrence-Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization.
