Trudeau names former B.C. premier Canada's ambassador to Germany
John Horgan, the former premier of British Columbia, has been named Canada's next ambassador to Germany.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment Wednesday, calling the former New Democratic Party premier a "passionate public servant and an experienced leader."
Horgan, who has twice battled cancer, stepped down as premier in November 2022 and resigned his seat in the B.C. legislature in March, ending a 30-year career in politics that included five terms as a Vancouver Island MLA and eight years as leader of the B.C. New Democrats.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Office commended Horgan on his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic and his efforts to create jobs in an environmentally sustainable economy.
"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.
Horgan was among dozens of Canadians sanctioned by Russia's foreign ministry last spring after he publicly condemned the country's invasion of Ukraine, and pulled Russian vodka from B.C. liquor store shelves in protest.
Horgan called the sanction, which bars him from entering Russia, a "badge of honour, not for myself but for British Columbia."
A married father of two adult sons, Horgan took his first post-politics job in April when he joined the board of Elk Valley Resources, a coal-mining unit that was spun off from Vancouver-based mining giant Teck Resources.
In his new role as ambassador, Horgan will provide strategic advice to the prime minister as Canada and Germany navigate the shared challenges of food and energy security and global conflicts, the PMO said.
Horgan, 64, isn't the first former B.C. leader to receive a post in Canada's foreign service.
Former premier Gordon Campbell was named the high commissioner to the United Kingdom by the federal Conservative government in 2011, serving in the role until 2016.
The Canadian embassy in Germany is located in Berlin, with consulates in Munich, Dusseldorf, and an honorary consul in Stuttgart.
Germany maintains an embassy in Ottawa, as well as consulates in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.