As homes burn and thousands of people are forced from their homes in the BC Interior, Premier John Horgan is on holiday.
The premier has been noticeably absent from the provincial government’s communications and news conferences on the wildfire situation recently, prompting questions.
Today (Aug. 16), the premier’s office sent a statement to the media explaining his absence.
“While spending time with his family away from the office, Premier Horgan has been briefed daily — sometimes several times a day — on important issues and crisis facing British Columbia. He will be back on Thursday.”
The statement said Premier Horgan has been “providing direction” to ministers on public service “in order to keep people safe.”
He was also briefed Monday by Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy and Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth on the on the wildfire activity and evacuations in the region.
Kelowna-Mission MLA Renee Merrifield, who is also running for leadership of the BC Liberal party, blasted the premier on Twitter for his absence.
“‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned.’ Where is Horgan?” she tweeted. “In the absence of communication, anxiety grows. True leaders are present in times of crisis. This is a crisis.”
Premier Horgan did, however, address the wildfires on Twitter on Sunday.
