John Horgan is now relieved of his duties as David Eby steps into the role of BC’s premier.
Eby was sworn in as BC’s 37th premier on Friday, November 18th in the company of his friends, family, community members and colleagues.
The ceremony took place on the mainland in Vancouver at the Musqueam Community Centre, near Eby’s residence and constituency.
This was a historic occasion for BC. It marks the first time a new premier has been a swearing-in ceremony has ever been hosted by a First Nations community.
Chief Wayne Sparrow of the Musqueam Indian Band was host of the event. He saw it as an opportunity to strengthen government relationships to First Nations across BC.
“Musqueam is pleased to host this historic event in our community,” said Chief Sparrow. “David Eby is the first BC premier sworn in at a First Nation—an encouraging signal that he is dedicated to reconciliation and authentic partnerships with First Nations,”
“Musqueam wants reconciliation to be more than a buzzword. We want action that creates substantial, positive change for Musqueam and all Indigenous people in B.C.
“We will be looking to Premier Eby to provide the leadership needed to truly implement Indigenous rights and create a prosperous future for every British Columbian.”
During the ceremony, the new premier made a commitment to tackle challenges British Columbians face every day, throughout the province.
“British Columbia is a wonderful place to call home,” said Premier Eby. “At the same time, people are feeling uncertain about the future and worried about their families.”
“I’m proud of the work done by John Horgan and our government to put people first. And there’s so much more to do.”
“I’m ready to get to work with my team to deliver results that people will be able to see and feel in their lives and in their communities.”
Following the ceremony, Eby announced two big monetary credits that will become available to British Columbians in the coming months.
The first is a one time $100 cost-of-living credit for BC Hydro customers that is meant to be equal to one-month’s electricity charges for the average single-family homeowner.
The second is a new BC Affordability Credit that will help low and middle income British Columbians. It’ll provide up to $164 per adult, $41 per child or $410 for a family with two children earning $43,051, with a sliding scale of credits for families earning as much as $150,051.
Both of these affordability initiatives were just announced at the swearing-in ceremony and more information has since been released.
