‘I’ll see you around’: Horgan storms out of what could be his final media availability over Appadurai question

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Premier John Horgan abruptly ended a media availability at the B.C. Legislature Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022 in what could be his last in the role of premier.

In his final days as the premier of British Columbia, John Horgan abruptly ended what might be his last media scrum in the role after he was asked about the BC NDP’s executive council disqualifying leadership contender Anjali Appadurai.

Throughout the Q&A, Horgan was primarily asked about the high-profile leadership race, Appaudrai’s ejection from it and the fact that former Attorney General David Eby is now acclaimed as premier.

Horgan expressed excitement for Eby, his “hardest-working” cabinet member, to take over and defended his party executive’s decision to disqualify Appadurai.

But when questions turned to the executive council that made the decision to eliminate her candidacy, Horgan went on the defensive.

“You’ve been talking about transparency and the role of the provincial executive. Why isn’t the list of who’s on the executive public?” asked The Tyee reporter Andrew MacLeod.

“Why? Because they’re being inundated by people who say this is, this is by Green Party members saying ‘we want to take over your party,'” replied Horgan. “Leave them alone. They’re doing their job, volunteers, and they’re gonna be abused by a bunch of people who cheated and want to get away with it?”

Horgan continued by saying he believes the executive, made up of a “diverse” group of young men and women elected at the last party convention, should not be ridiculed and abused “by a bunch of people who cheated and got away with it.”

The reporter then posed a follow-up question about whether the executive should be named publicly given its role when Horgan cut him off.

“Let me go back. They were elected at our last convention. If you’d been paying attention, you would’ve been able to identify who they are,” he said. “They’re on the, I’m sure you can find their names on the website. If you want their addresses and phone numbers and emails, you’re gonna have to do something else, not talk to me. I think I’m done here. Thanks very much everybody, I’ll see you around.”

Horgan then walked away from the scrum, perhaps for his last time in the role of premier.

Appadurai, the only other candidate running for the leadership alongside former B.C Attorney General David Eby, was ousted from the race Wednesday night after BC NDP Chief Electoral Officer Elizabeth Cull determined she engaged in “serious improper conduct” by working with third parties like Dogwood BC to sign up new party members.

Cull also said Dogwood encouraged members of other parties to relinquish those memberships in order to join the BC NDP for the sole purpose of voting in the leadership contest.

Appadurai and Dogwood BC have both maintained that they did not break any rules.

The report concluded that the only appropriate measure was to disqualify Appadurai from the race, leaving Eby as the sole candidate — prompting the party to announce he will be sworn-in as premier on Friday.

Watch the full news conference below:

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