Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has named former British Columbia premier John Horgan as Canada’s next ambassador to Germany.
The Wednesday announcement comes seven months after Horgan resigned his seat in the B.C. legislature as the MLA Langford-Juan de Fuca on southern Vancouver Island. Horgan, a New Democrat with a 30-year political career, served as premier for a little over five years.
“He is a passionate public servant and an experienced leader, and I am confident that he will continue to serve Canada well and help advance our two countries’ common interests in this new role, including our shared commitment to building a clean future with good middle-class jobs and a strong economy that benefits everyone,” Trudeau said in a news release.
Canada’s embassy in Germany is located in Berlin, with consulates in Munich and Düsseldorf as well as an Honorary Consul in Stuttgart.
As ambassador, Horgan will work to strengthen ties between the two countries, both NATO partners, and members of the G7, G20, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and World Trade Organization.
Canada and Germany created a high-level steering group for bilateral co-operation in 2021, to improve collaboration on peace and security, climate action, energy and natural resources, innovation, and more. That group last met in June and will meet again in 2024.
Horgan announced in June last year he would step down as premier before the next provincial election, citing “rigorous” treatment in recent months for throat cancer. It was his second battle with the disease.
He then sped up his retirement plans in February this year. While cancer-free, Horgan said at the time he believed he had “done as much as I can do.”
His final day in the legislature was March 31.
The veteran politician spent eight years as New Democratic Party leader, five terms as MLA and a dozen years as a political staff employee. He was the longest-serving NDP premier in the province’s history.
When he stepped down from politics, Horgan made clear he was not retiring, but would pursue other kinds of work.
New Democrat Ravi Parmar, who won Horgan’s seat in Langford-Juan de Fuca in a June byelection, congratulated his predecessor on the new appointment.
“An exemplary choice, I can’t think of anyone better suited for this significant role,” he posted on social media Wednesday.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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