Help people, not necessarily lead

John Horgan In His Own Words: A Memoir
by John Horgan with Rod Mickleburgh

Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2025
$38.95 / 9781998526260

Reviewed by Steven Brown

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John Horgan was British Columbia’s thirty-sixth premier. He was premier from 2017 to 2022. He was a popular premier and his standing was high right across the country. In 2023, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau appointed John Horgan ambassador to Germany. Seven months later, in June 2024, John Horgan was diagnosed with cancer. It was his third bout with cancer and his last. Little more than a year after being appointed ambassador the disease killed him at the age of sixty-five. Gone too soon.

Contained in John Horgan In His Own Words are some of the bare facts of John Horgan’s life. What’s interesting about this book besides being a political memoir is it’s also a personal memoir. This is John Horgan in his own words, the whole story, aided and abetted very capably by veteran journalist Rod Mickleburgh. It’s an entertaining read despite the sad ending.

John was born and raised in the Victoria area. His parents lived in the Hillside neighbourhood and moved to Saanich when he was still an infant. His parents were not well off. His mother was raised in Toronto. His father was born in Ireland and died before John was three years old. His father “was a drunk” in John’s own words, otherwise not a bad guy, from other things related about him. John’s mother carried on and raised her four children of whom John was the youngest. He had two older brothers and an older sister.

Politics wasn’t indicated in his early years of maturity. Unlike his siblings he was athletic, excelling in lacrosse and basketball, and was an above average student. His mother set an example of perseverance. He benefited from good guidance from teachers and coaches. His high school basketball coach told him he didn’t need to aspire to be a superstar, that it was more important in team sports to be a team player, to be the guy everyone wants on their team. This stayed with him.

By a circuitous route, John Horgan went to Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. In second year, a roommate said he was going to see Tommy Douglas, who was speaking on campus. John had no idea who Tommy Douglas was but he went to the event. Douglas was the Baptist minister and former leader of the federal New Democratic Party, who was renowned for establishing the first universal health care program in North America when he was Saskatchewan premier prior to heading the NDP. Seeing Douglas and listening to his speech had a profound impact on John Horgan. “All I wanted to do after that meeting was get an education and help people.”

He met his future wife at Trent and graduated with a history degree. Why he chose Australia to do his graduate work in history isn’t gone into, but when he finished his thesis at the University of Sydney John and his bride had found good jobs and were planning to stay on in Australia. They learned they couldn’t do that. They weren’t students anymore. They’d have to leave and apply for residency from Canada and wait at least two years. Back in Canada, Australia faded away and things morphed into Ottawa and John’s first job in politics, working for federal NDP candidate Lynn Harper’s campaign in the federal riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. “I was becoming more of a political animal. That was a change.”

He was in Ottawa five years and vastly improved his understanding of how politics work. The memoir records the first of John Horgan’s many zingers in the narrative about the politicians around him. “I got to watch Svend J. Robinson, who in his own way, was very effective, even if it was for Svend J. Robinson and not so much for anybody else.” Pauline Jewett was “impressive.” Margaret Mitchell was “delightful.” Nelson Riis from Kamloops also impressed. Riis showed him that to be successful in politics you have to be able to talk about almost everything. By this time, he also had a good understanding of what governments can actually do.

He returned to his western roots, settled in Langford in the greater Victoria area, and was now the father of two children. He got a job working for the party in the new government of NDP premier Mike Harcourt. In his opinion, Harcourt “took a lot of grief” but ran a very good government. He “wasn’t particularly good at delivering messages.” Glen Clark, “a spectacular campaigner,” succeeded Harcourt until his “spectacular flame out.” Dan Miller became interim leader. Things devolved to Ujjal Dosanjh, “a terrible campaigner” and ultimately the party was reduced to two seats in the next election.  It was 2001. “Gordon Campbell, who’s a pretty wooden guy—though he did get better—slaughtered us.”

Out of government Horgan had a stint in consulting. He then made the decision to run for the NDP as MLA in what was then the provincial riding of Malahat-Juan de Fuca. He was elected. It was exciting and also terrifying. He had little experience with the media. It was 2005. In 2014 he sought the party leadership and gained it by acclimation. And yes, the rest is history. The Christy Clark BC Liberals failed to gain a majority in the 2017 election, the NDP made a Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) with Andrew Weaver, the leader of the Greens, who’d been elected with two other Greens, which enabled the NDP to form a government.

“It was beyond my wildest dreams,” Horgan said about being elected Premier. “Whenever the opportunity had presented itself, I’d said you’ve got the wrong guy you should find somebody better. I didn’t think it was lack of confidence. I think it was just that I always felt I was there to help other people, not to be the leader.”

The book is engaging, frank and occasionally a little salty. It’s a nicely turned-out book in hardcover with a dust jacket featuring a colour image of John Horgan in the prime of life. Undoubtedly, it’s not a coincidence the hardcover itself is NDP orange.

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“Books have ruined my life,” jokes Steven Brown. A professional in the book trade for years he’s managed to retain a deep and abiding passion for good books and first rate literature. He was born in Saskatchewan and grew up in Ontario and British Columbia. Vancouver is home these days. His reviews have appeared in Canadian newspapers, a literary review or two and he has donated reviews to good causes. [Editor’s note: Steven has reviewed books by Robert J. Muckle, Peter Smith, Jonathan Swainger, Bruce McLellan, Gail Anderson-Dargatz, and Patrik Sampler for The British Columbia Review.]

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The British Columbia Review

Interim Editors, 2023-26: Trevor Marc Hughes (non-fiction), Brett Josef Grubisic (fiction)
Publisher: Richard Mackie

Formerly The Ormsby Review, The British Columbia Review is an on-line book review and journal service for BC writers and readers. The Advisory Board now consists of Jean Barman, Wade Davis, Robin Fisher, Barry Gough, Hugh Johnston, Kathy Mezei, Patricia Roy, and Graeme Wynn. Provincial Government Patron (since September 2018): Creative BC. Honorary Patron: Yosef Wosk. Scholarly Patron: SFU Graduate Liberal Studies. The British Columbia Review was founded in 2016 by Richard Mackie and Alan Twigg.

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