“I am very grateful for the respect he showed”: Shirley Bond on John Horgan

“He was seen as the guy you could have a beer with.”

Those words on former BC Premier John Horgan come from former Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond.

Hogan passed away at the age of 65 this morning (Tuesday), following a battle with cancer.

“While we might have been fierce political adversaries we certainly had a good relationship working behind the scenes on files together,” Bond said.

“He treated me with a great deal of respect when I became the leader of the opposition, and I just feel absolutely heartbroken for Ellie, the boys and the family.”

Bond said Horgan had an interest in the North, and was willing to have behind the scenes conversations on topics that mattered to Northerners.

“He was particularly concerned about mental health and addictions and homelessness and how we deal with those issues here in the North,” she said.

“I just know that he was fierce in the legislature, very passionate, well known for his Irish temperament. I was there for his farewell speech in the Legislature and I remember crossing the floor to give John Horgan a big hug as a friend.”

Bond added Horgan was one of the first persons to reach out to her when she lost her husband, Bill.

“Not only did he continue to check in on how I was doing and how my family was doing, there was always that sense of compassion and understanding of how difficult it would be to manage the job, and face that future without Billy,” she said.

“People don’t see that type of relationship, they see the fierce behaviour in the legislature and the differences, but I will always be grateful to John Horgan for the way he reached out when I lost my husband.”

Bond said he also showed a great amount of respect when she became the Interim Leader of the Opposition.

“I would call myself the Interim Leader of the Opposition, he would say to me, “there is no such thing, you are the Leader of the Opposition,” and I appreciated that.”

“We still had many fierce question period battles after that, but I am very grateful for the respect that he showed, despite our political differences.”