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North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma has announced she won’t be seeking the job of next premier of the province and has thrown her support behind Attorney General David Eby as next leader of the NDP.
Eby is widely considered a front-runner in the race, although as of Friday, nobody had officially declared.
Finance Minister Selina Robinson said recently that she’s considering a run for the top job. Others, including Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon and Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen, have announced they won’t be entering the race.
Ma said she’d heard from people ranging from caucus colleagues to “climate leaders” urging her to consider running, which she described as humbling.
“Never in my life did I ever think I would be asked by anyone to seriously consider running to be premier of this province. And it's not a small thing to be asked,” she said.
“But the honest truth is that I knew right away that being premier wasn't for me. I’m more of an engineer than a politician,” she said. “I’m not fond of the politics of politics.”
Ma, a two-term MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, said she didn’t enter politics with an ambition to “climb the ladder.”
Ma said she had several conversations with Eby in the weeks leading up to her decision.
Ma described Eby as having “immense integrity” and pointed to his work in a number of challenging areas including the housing crisis, money laundering and reforming ICBC.
Ma added that, “I care a lot about climate change. He’s someone who understands my position.”
B.C.’s current premier, John Horgan, announced last month that he will not seek re-election, and will step down when a new leader is chosen in the fall.
