B.C.'s new cabinet to be sworn in Nov. 18 after judicial recounts

British Columbia's new cabinet is set to be sworn in on Nov. 18, one month after the provincial election that gave Premier David Eby's NDP the slimmest of majorities, pending recounts.

A statement from Eby's office says the swearing-in dates of cabinet and members of the legislature have been set based on the judicial recounts in three ridings and reporting information from Elections B.C.

Eby is conducting interviews this week with every member of the NDP caucus ahead of thecabinetswearing in.

The 47 New Democrats, including Eby, are enough to give the party a one-seat majority in the legislature, pending recounts.

Of the NDP's new caucus, 29 are returning members of the legislature, and 18 are newly elected.

The recounts for Surrey-Guildford and KelownaCity Centrewill be on Nov. 7 and 8. They were triggered due to the close finish between the NDP and Conservative candidatesin those ridings.

A recount for the riding of Prince George-Mackenzie, which the Conservative candidate won by more than 5,000 votes, is scheduled for Nov. 8 after Elections B.C. discovered a ballot box containing 861 votes that had not been part of the initial count.

Eby says the recounts will ensure that every British Columbian's vote is heard.

After those recounts, he says B.C. residents want to see "urgent action" on priorities including affordability and housing, health care, and building a strong economy.

Eby says the first step is swearing in the new cabinet at a ceremony in Victoria, where he will present his recommendations to Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin.

WATCH | What happens next in B.C. politics after the election?

After the election, what happens next in B.C. politics?

6 days ago

Duration 9:17

In CBC's On the Ledge, political reporters Les Leyne and Justine Hunter explain whats next for the newly elected B.C. NDP government, including judicial recounts and the selection of a new Speaker.

Thecabinet-building job for Eby involves leaning on a reduced list of steady, veteran hands and taking chances on a fresh batch of exuberant but untested New Democrats, largely from urban ridings, said David Black, an associate professor in communications and culture at Greater Victoria's Royal Roads University.

"You want people, especially in the more senior ministries who you can trust to have the managerial competence, and have presumably had a time in office previously,cabinetif at all possible," Black said Wednesday.

He said he estimated Eby could have up to a dozencabinetpositions to fill, including new ministers in finance, transportation, labour, Indigenous relations, education, environment and agriculture.

But Black said the bedrock ministers of housing, health and public safety were all re-elected, giving Eby a strongcabinetfoundation.

He said he expected Ravi Kahlon to retain his post at housing, Mike Farnworth to stay on as solicitor general and public safety minister, but Adrian Dix could move from health.

Black also expected the environment, despite pressure from two Green members, could take a lower profile withincabinetnow that Eby promised to drop the carbon tax if federal regulations are relaxed.

But a majorcabinetissue, and one Eby has spoken about since Oct. 19, is the NDP's lack of an elected presence in B.C.'s rural and northern communities, he said.

The New Democrats elected five members from outside of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, but the defeat of formercabinetminister Nathan Cullen in Smithers was a huge blow, said Black.

"Vernon is not the north in the way that Nathan Cullen was the north," he said. "He's going to have to find, and it's hard, somebody who's going to be his minister for the north."

Number of new faces

Among those new to the provincial government are: Tamara Davidson, of North Coast-Haida Gwaii, a Council of the Haida Nation elected representative; Steve Morissette, of Kootenay-Monashee, a former mayor of Fruitvale; and Randene Neill, from Powell River-Sunshine Coast, a former Global B.C. broadcaster.

Some of the re-elected New Democrats who holdcabinetposts are: Health Minister Adrian Dix, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon and Attorney General Niki Sharma.

Among the re-elected New Democrats who were not in the government'scabinetor held parliamentary secretary positions are: Brittny Anderson, Kootenay Central; Harwinder Sandhu, Vernon-Lumby; and Ravi Parmar, Langford-Highlands.

The statement says a transition team co-chaired by Eby's special counsel on Indigenous reconciliation, Doug White, and Shannon Salter, the premier's deputy minister and head of the public service, will make recommendations about selection of ministers and the formation of ministries in the new government.

Newly elected members of the legislature are set to be sworn in and formally invited to take their seats before cabinet's swearing in, it says.

The Opposition caucus and B.C. Green Party MLAs are scheduled to be sworn in on Nov. 12., while government caucus MLAs will be sworn in the next day.