Finance Minister Selina Robinson and Land, Water and Resources Management Minister Josie Osborne will not be running to replace Prime Minister John Horgan.
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Two other high-profile NDP cabinet ministers have announced they will not run to replace Prime Minister John Horgan, further solidifying the potential coronation of Attorney General David Eby.
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Finance Minister Selina Robinson told Postmedia on Monday that she will not seek leadership from the BC NDP.
“I think she would make a great prime minister,” Robinson said, adding that it was wonderful to hear from so many people who encouraged her to run.
“But my first thought was, ‘Well, who’s going to do the budget then?’” Robinson said. Government rules require ministers to temporarily resign from the cabinet while they seek leadership. The treasury board begins budget preparation in the late fall and presents the budget in February.
Robinson said she is also disheartened by the backlash she has received from some members of the public, including instances of her staff contacting the RCMP due to threatening messages.
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Robinson said last week that she was seriously considering a race, but decided over the weekend that the time was not right for her.
“I think it’s hugely important that any time an opportunity comes along, particularly for women, we should seriously think about it and really challenge ourselves around ‘Would I do this? Could you do this? Should I do this?’” Robinson said.
Josie Osborne, Minister for Land, Water and Resources Management, said on Twitter this morning that she will not seek leadership. She said that she is proud to serve as MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim and as part of the cabinet and “tThat is the job I will focus on as we elect our next BC NDP leader.”
Several other cabinet ministers have said they will not run, including Ravi Kahlon and Bowinn Ma, who have thrown their support behind Eby. Nathan Cullen, Rob Fleming, George Heyman have also ruled out a race.
Eby, the presumed front-runner due to his work on tough cases including money laundering, the ICBC review and lobbying local governments to pass affordable housing, is expected to announce his candidacy this week.
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Robinson said he will wait until all the candidates have testified before endorsing anyone. She also said that as finance minister, it is important to remain impartial.
Prime Minister John Horgan, 62, announced in late June that he will not seek a third term as prime minister, citing ill health following his battle with throat cancer. He will remain as prime minister until his replacement is selected.
The leadership campaign officially started on Sunday after the BC NDP released the leadership rules.
Leadership candidates have until Oct. 4 to enter the race and must pay a fee of $15,000, according to party rules released over the weekend.
Candidates have until September 4 to register new members, as the party’s constitution requires people to be members for at least 90 days in order to vote for the leader. The mail-in voting period will begin on November 13 and the results will be announced on December 3.
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