'I feel more agile': B.C. premier jokes about weight loss at first appearance since finishing cancer treatment

John Horgan’s first public appearance of the year at the B.C. legislature saw the premier in a jovial mood, cracking jokes about losing his beard and a considerable amount of weight since wrapping up cancer treatment last month.

Horgan told reporters he started losing his beard slowly over the course of 35 radiation treatments he’s endured since being diagnosed with throat cancer in November.

“I feel more agile. I gotta say, dropping 25 pounds'll do that," he told a photojournalist at the legislature in Victoria, where he was sporting a moustache rather than his trademark goatee. "I feel great. I get tired around suppertime and I'm not eating, like it's still hard swallowing."

Horgan said there were only a few days when he lost his voice, which he quipped was a great relief to his wife. He described tolerating the radiation well early in his treatment, with the side effects worsening over time, then being “violently ill” last week.

The illness prompted a COVID-19 test, which turned up negative, and he expressed his gratitude to health-care workers who cared for him. Horgan’s health issues were intertwined with his remarks on the Lunar New Year, which he was there to mark. 

“We've been through a helluva time over the past two years. I know everyone wants to put that behind us, and what a better way to start the Year of the Tiger, looking forward with a positive outlook to the future,” he said. “That's certainly how I feel on a personal level and I want to bring that enthusiasm to the work that we do here for all British Columbians and all Canadians."

While he’s been holding private virtual meetings for several months, this week Horgan will participate in a high-profile discussion with the Council of the Federation, continuing premiers’ demands for the federal government to increase its contributions to health care.

While Tuesday’s photo op included an informal update on his health, Horgan is expected to hold a news conference to address questions from journalists by the end of the week.