How John Horgan found success mixing sports and politics

It's a fitting testament to John Horgan's love of sport that it was a rugby match meetup that sparked the first tremor in the political earthquake that made him British Columbia's 36th premier.

The setting was the gold medal game of the 2017 HSBC Canada Women's Sevens at Starlight Stadium in Horgan's home constituency of Langford.

While Canada and New Zealand fought it out on the field, Horgan and then B.C. Greens leader Andrew Weaver got together for a friendly chat in the stands. Horgan, of course, was wearing his favourite Victoria Shamrocks lacrosse team baseball cap, but more on that later. 

Not long after what some dubbed the "rugby summit," the two men announced the Greens would support the NDP through a confidence and supply agreement, giving Horgan's party enough seats to form a minority government, thus ending the B.C. Liberals 16-year dynasty in the B.C. Legislature.

Canadian rugby legend Gareth Rees said Horgan's enthusiasm for sports was a big influence on how he operated in the political world.

"He was a sports person but also a team member — he played team sports," said Rees, the first rugby player inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

"He and Andrew Weaver — another rugby guy — the way they dealt with each other was about getting a result, getting an outcome for the people of B.C."

As the old saying goes, politics and sports don't mix. But for Horgan, the combination was, in many ways, his secret to success.

The 65-year-old died of thyroid cancer at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria on Nov. 12, two years after leaving office. He is survived by his wife, Ellie, and two sons. 

Friend Jim Hartshorne, owner of the Victoria Shamrocks, said he often teased Horgan for being such a big athletic supporter.

"He was an absolute jock. It didn't matter what sport it was; he thought he was good at it," laughed Hartshorne. 

Horgan's love of lacrosse and the Victoria Shamrocks was passed down from his father, who worked as a timekeeper in the penalty box at Shamrocks home games, according to Hartshorne.

The future premier was a good lacrosse player in his younger days. And as his political fortunes rose he rarely missed a chance to rep the hometown team.

Hartshorne said the photos of Horgan posing in his custom Shamrocks baseball cap are many, including at the the Great Wall of China, the North Korean DMZ and Checkpoint Charlie, to name just a few.

"He had a big head, so we had to special order a hat. But he took that hat around the world," said Hartshorne. "This was Premier John J. Horgan supporting the Victoria Shamrocks. He did it with pride, and he did it with purpose."

Michelle Collens, director of destination events and tourism for the City of Vancouver, said Horgan's belief in sport as a vehicle to bring people together — especially in the post-pandemic world — was evident in his support of the 2025 Invictus Games, the men's 2026 FIFA World Cup,  and this weekend's Grey Cup in Vancouver.

"He was the first person to put up his hand to say, 'You go win that bid, and I'll be the first ticket buyer to make the Grey Cup happen,'" she said. 

"The Invictus Games, right away when it was pitched to him, he just said, of course, we want to do that for our heroes and our servicemen and women. John really looked forward to the opportunity, to seeing that sport would be that equalizer, that opportunity to connect people again," said Collens.

As of Nov. 15, no date had yet been announced for Horgan's memorial service.

A book of condolences has been set up online and in the Hall of Honour at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria, where the public is invited to share messages and memories.