Ravi Kahlon fills new vital role of BC minister of housing in new cabinet

Ravi Kahlon (Facebook)

With a new premier at the helm, there has been a major shakeup in the cabinet of the BC NDP provincial government.

Premier David Eby has created a cabinet entailing a total of 28 positions, including 23 ministers and four ministers of state. Two new ministries have also been established.

The most significant move is the appointment of Ravi Kahlon, who fills the newly created role of minister of housing — a position that directly oversees Eby’s newly created Ministry of Housing.

You might also like:

Eby has made housing affordability central to his agenda as the new leader of the province, and has already made major policy shifts, including banning the ability for stratas to restrict rentals, and enacting a Housing Supply Act that requires municipal governments to meet new housing supply quotas.

The 2023 budget to be announced in February is expected to include significantly more measures for housing as outlined in detail during Eby’s party leadership campaign earlier this fall, including the first steps in fulfilling a major public housing building program.

As BC’s housing minister, Kahlon is also expected to oversee provincial crown corporation BC Housing, which is currently undergoing a forensic audit, following the findings of a recent independent review of the organization. In recent weeks, BC Housing has also come under fire for its relationship with controversial non-profit housing operator Atira Women’s Society.

Kahlon is both the minister of housing and the government house leader, which is a key role that organizes the government’s day-to-day business in the legislation, including managing the legislative agenda. This possibly signifies the importance of the housing-first agenda of this government.

Prior to this role, Kahlon, who has been the MLA for the riding of Delta North since 2017 and is a former Olympian in field hockey, was the minister of jobs, economic recovery, and innovation for former Premier John Horgan’s cabinet.

Up until now, the provincial government did not have a stand-alone Ministry of Housing and a dedicated minister in charge, although Eby was previously the “minister responsible for housing,” in addition to his previous main cabinet role of attorney general.

Vancouver-False Creek MLA Brenda Bailey has taken over Kahlon’s previous role as the minister of jobs, economic development, and innovation. Bailey was previously the executive director of the Digital Media Industry Association of BC, and co-founded video game studio Silicon Sisters.

Jennifer Whiteside, the MLA for New Westminster, is now the minister of mental health and addictions. She was previously the minister of education and childcare, which is now a role filled by Surrey-Green Timbers MLA Rachna Singh. Vancouver-Hastings MLA Niki Sharma is the new attorney general.

North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma has left her role as minister of state for infrastructure and transit, which is now filled by Chilliwack MLA Dan Coulter. She is now the minister of emergency management and climate readiness. Vancouver-Fairview MLA George Heyman has retained his role as the minister of environment and climate change strategy.

Ma oversees the second new ministry created by Eby — the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, which is clearly a measure in response to the major weather events experienced in the province over the last few years.

Rob Fleming, the MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake, is still the minister of transportation and infrastructure, which is a role that also directly oversees TransLink and BC Transit.

BC now also has a new minister of finance, a position filled by Kootenay West MLA and former Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy. She has replaced Selina Robinson, who is the Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA and is now the minister of post-secondary education and future skills.

Saanich South MLA Lana Popham is the new minister of tourism, arts, culture, and sport, which was a role briefly filled by Lisa Beare this fall upon Melanie Mark’s sudden resignation. Beare, the MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, has retained her existing role of minister of citizens’ services.

Eby has shown public safety will be one of his priorities, following his announcement in late November on providing policing services across the province with a $230 million funding boost to hire more officers. He has kept Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth in the role of minister of public safety and solicitor general.

Eby’s cabinet is larger than his predecessor, and this does not include 14 MLAs who will act as parliamentary secretaries to support the work of his cabinet.

Here is the full list of Premier David Eby’s cabinet:

Premier: David Eby
Agriculture and Food: Pam Alexis
Attorney General: Niki Sharma
Children and Family Development: Mitzi Dean
Citizens’ Services: Lisa Beare
Education and Child Care: Rachna Singh
- Minister of State for Child Care: Grace Lore
Emergency Management and Climate Readiness: Bowinn Ma
Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation: Josie Osborne
Environment and Climate Change Strategy: George Heyman
Finance (includes Columbia River Treaty): Katrine Conroy
Forests, and Minister Responsible for Consular Corps: Bruce Ralston
Health, and Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs: Adrian Dix
Housing, and Government House Leader: Ravi Kahlon
Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation: Murray Rankin
Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation: Brenda Bailey
- Minister of State for Trade: Jagrup Brar
Labour: Harry Bains
Mental Health and Addictions: Jennifer Whiteside
Municipal Affairs: Anne Kang
Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills (includes immigration/foreign credentials): Selina Robinson
- Minister of State for Workforce Development: Andrew Mercier
Public Safety and Solicitor General (ICBC), and Deputy Premier: Mike Farnworth
Social Development and Poverty Reduction: Sheila Malcolmson
Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport: Lana Popham
Transportation and Infrastructure (BC Transit and Translink): Rob Fleming
- Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit: Dan Coulter
Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (Fisheries): Nathan Cullen

You might also like: