B.C.'s Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says personal reasons are behind his decision not to run again, echoing comments from cabinet colleagues Harry Bains and Bruce Ralston, who have also announced they won't be running.
"It's hard to say when the best time to leave (politics) is, but it felt like the right time for me personally," Fleming said. "Before my wife and I have an empty nest at home, I would like to spend more time with my kids. It's a totally committed life, being a government minister and it takes its toll."
Fleming added that he believes in "renewal and giving other people opportunities to seek positions like this."
Fleming, who is also the MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake, made these comments in an interview with Black Press Media after announcing in early July that he won't be running again.
"It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my constituents in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for the better part of two decades," Fleming said in his official statement. Voters elected Fleming, who also served as education minister, in 2005 after he had two terms on Victoria city council.
Fleming's official statement specifically singled out B.C. Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association, labour unions, First Nations and Transportation ministry staff for their work in rebuilding the Coquihalla Highway after storms and floods had damaged it in November 2021.
"You get really tested in a crisis and that was a crisis where literally half the province was severed from the other half," Fleming said. "I never thought we could get it done in 35 days...so I was just privileged to be able to work with such a group of talented contractors and workers and engineers and staff in the ministry to get our province through that crisis. The stakes were high. We were losing tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars worth of economic activity each day and we got it done (before Christmas)."
Fleming's announcement followed comparable announcements by B.C.'s Forests Minister Bruce Ralston and B.C.'s Labour Minister Harry Bains.
"The session is very busy, I had a little bit of a chance to reflect and just to think about the prospect of going forward for another four years," Ralston said in an interview with the Surrey Now-Leader. "I've been at it almost 20 years, so I decided that it's time for the next time to do something else, time for the next phase of my life."
Linda Coady, president and CEO of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, said Ralston could not have served as forests minister at a more challenging time.
"But from a forest industry perspective we appreciated his openness to keeping those challenges front and centre and to keeping the pressure on government, industry, and others to come up with new solutions," Coady said.
Bains said on social media that he did not make his decision lightly.
"Serving British Columbians and people in my community has been truly fulfilling, but now I am looking forward to spending more time with my loved ones who have stood by me during my time in public office," he said. "I could not have done any of this without them and their support."
Sussanne Skidmore, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, thanked Bains, who has been spearheading a number of reforms, including changes to the minimum wage and gig workers.
"It’s been an honour to work with you and I’m thankful for all that we accomplished together making life better for workers!" Skidmore wrote on social media. "Solidarity my friend!"
The departure of Bains, Fleming and Ralston brings the number of cabinet ministers not running to six.
"I think what we all have in common, the six of us, is that we have been together here since 2005," Fleming said. "We worked hard together in the trenches as an opposition and we worked hard together for the last seven and a half years as cabinet colleagues and a government that has been extremely busy, working at a break-neck speed to get things done for British Columbians.
"I can't speak for the others, but 20 years is a long time in politics."
Fleming added that only three members of the B.C. NDP MLAs elected in 2005 remain: Deputy Premier and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix and Speaker Raj Chouhan.
Speaking an unrelated event in Surrey on Tuesday (July 9), Premier David Eby praised the trio, paying special tribute to Ralston for his role in the party, when it had just just two MLAs.
"They are exceptional and I understand that they have served for a long time," Eby said. "Politics is not forever, so they have made decisions for themselves, for their families about what they would like do next. What I can say about the state of our party is that we are anchored in the amazing work that these ministers have done and that anchor is what is floating the ship of the amazing candidates we are putting forward in the next election."
—with files from Tom Zytaruk, Surrey Now-Leader
