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John Horgan: In His Own Words
This candid, unvarnished memoir of British Columbia’s most popular premier reveals a legacy of enduring value to Canadian politics and culture.
The public outpouring of emotion at the time of John Horgan’s death in 2024 surprised few who had come to know him well. The tributes to BC’s most popular premier reflected a man whose multifaceted character won admiration that deepened over time—someone both bold and unassuming, driven by principle but flexible enough to welcome ideas from across the political spectrum.
In the wake of the loss comes the unmistakable voice of Horgan himself, in this candid, piercing, often funny memoir. Here, he reveals the path that transformed him from the wayward figure of his youth—the son of “an Irish scrapper”—to the first two-term NDP premier in BC history. He meets his soulmate, Ellie, while drunkenly belting out songs on a university pub crawl. He attends a single talk by a tiny man he’d never heard of named Tommy Douglas and is changed overnight from a self-declared jock who was “just chipping away at what the world was all about” into a student of Canadian politics committed to helping lift whole communities out of struggle.
With characteristic frankness, Horgan leads readers through the pivotal moments of his political career—such as forging a remarkable alliance with the Greens and leading the NDP to its largest electoral victory in BC history. He also offers vivid accounts of his government’s pressure-filled response to the COVID pandemic, his efforts to open new ways toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and of facing the cancer that eventually ended his life. With each of these passages, a uniquely spirited personality comes into sharper focus, one who was always in search of a fragile balance between urgent environmental, labour and resource issues and whose memory and legacy will be essential to the province and the country in the challenging years ahead.
The public outpouring of emotion at the time of John Horgan’s death in 2024 surprised few who had come to know him well. The tributes to BC’s most popular premier reflected a man whose multifaceted character won admiration that deepened over time—someone both bold and unassuming, driven by principle but flexible enough to welcome ideas from across the political spectrum.
In the wake of the loss comes the unmistakable voice of Horgan himself, in this candid, piercing, often funny memoir. Here, he reveals the path that transformed him from the wayward figure of his youth—the son of “an Irish scrapper”—to the first two-term NDP premier in BC history. He meets his soulmate, Ellie, while drunkenly belting out songs on a university pub crawl. He attends a single talk by a tiny man he’d never heard of named Tommy Douglas and is changed overnight from a self-declared jock who was “just chipping away at what the world was all about” into a student of Canadian politics committed to helping lift whole communities out of struggle.
With characteristic frankness, Horgan leads readers through the pivotal moments of his political career—such as forging a remarkable alliance with the Greens and leading the NDP to its largest electoral victory in BC history. He also offers vivid accounts of his government’s pressure-filled response to the COVID pandemic, his efforts to open new ways toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and of facing the cancer that eventually ended his life. With each of these passages, a uniquely spirited personality comes into sharper focus, one who was always in search of a fragile balance between urgent environmental, labour and resource issues and whose memory and legacy will be essential to the province and the country in the challenging years ahead.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 10, 2025
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About the author
John Horgan
1 bookJohn Joseph Horgan was a Canadian politician and diplomat who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022 and the ambassador of Canada to Germany from 2023 to 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 30, 2025
This is a candid political memoir that successfully reveals John Horgan's people loving personality. He was determined to make life better for people. I believe he succeeded. He transformed BC politics and the majority of people loved his authenticity, his willingness to try new ways to address problems and his ability to own up to his mistakes.
I thank reporter Rod Mickleburgh for working with John Horgan to make this book possible. It is an important record.
I thank reporter Rod Mickleburgh for working with John Horgan to make this book possible. It is an important record.
December 28, 2025
In the end you will cry and Mr. Horgan with move on "What a great life". Worth it - Great for aspiring people leaders. I haven't been his fan, I have been the people who saw him from far and passed judgments. I really hope that he was around, my loss. The book is well written, he didn't try to get sympathy or portray himself as a hero. He dealt with one after another giant issues plus his personal health. I had been only looking at his short comings which he lays out in the book as well. I don't want to spoil it for the next reader.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews