Celebration of life for Dave Barrett in Vancouver
Posted March 4, 2018 11:36 am.
Last Updated March 4, 2018 1:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Hundreds of people will gather in Vancouver today to say a final goodbye to former BC Premier Dave Barrett who passed away last month following a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
Current Premier John Horgan, along with former New Democrat premiers Glen Clark and Dan Miller, and another 500 NDP members, will gather at the Croatian Cultural Centre on Commercial Drive to remember Barrett. The event is said to be open to the public and is being held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
On Saturday in Victoria, an official state memorial was held for him as the flag was lowered to half-mast at the Legislature.
Finance Minister Carole James was the master of ceremonies for the state memorial.
Current Premier John Horgan was among several politicians who took to the stage at the service, which was held at the University of Victoria.
Horgan called Barrett’s accomplishments extraordinary and remembers Barrett bringing his “BC swagger” to Ottawa when he was elected to the federal NDP in the late 1980s.
He also gave Barrett credit for him joining the New Democrats. “Pat McGuire… she was sitting behind a desk [and] I sat down and said, ‘I just saw this guy at the Legislature, what can I do to help?’ And she said, ‘Well, why don’t you join the NDP?’ And I reached into my pocket and said, ‘All I’ve got is…’ and before I could say $10, it was out of my hand and I joined the NDP and I’ve never looked back.”
The NDP swept to power in the province for the first time in 1972 under Barrett’s leadership and passed a record 357 bills that led to enduring reforms including ICBC and the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Welfare reforms, a province-wide ambulance service and affordable prescription drugs through the Pharmacare program are also legacies of Barrett’s political accomplishments during his time in office, which lasted for three years.
Barrett’s New Democrats made history by defeating the five-term Social Credit government of W.A.C. Bennett, marking the end of that party’s dominance in BC politics.
An online book of condolences has also been set up.
Barrett died in February at the age of 87.
