Fourth B.C. cabinet minister won’t seek re-election

NELSON (NEWS 1130) — A fourth provincial cabinet minister has announced she won’t be running in the next B.C. election as speculation increases that it may come this fall.

Minister of Jobs and Economic Development Michelle Mungall says it’s been an honour to serve as the MLA for Nelson-Creston since 2009.

But she says she wants to spend more time with her husband and two-year-old son, Zavier.

“Thank you to everyone for all your contributions, energy and support over the years,” she says in a tweet.

Today, I am announcing that I will not be seeking re-election. It has been a true honour to serve the Kootenays as a Member of BC’s Legislative Assembly since 2009 and as a Cabinet Minister since 2017. pic.twitter.com/MRO2dVg814

— Michelle Mungall (@michellemungall) September 16, 2020

Mungall joins three other ministers who recently announced their intentions to leave provincial politics to spend more time with their family and friends.

The others: Shane Simpson, minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction; Doug Donaldson, minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development; and Scott Fraser, minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

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Earlier in the week, the B.C. Green Party announced Sonia Furstenau as its new leader.

She immediately called out Premier John Horgan not to call a fall election.

Horgan responded that he will “keep working until that time arrives.”