"I sought the leadership of the NDP because I wanted to make sure that the issues important to my constituents and to rural British Columbia were placed front and centre in the debate,” said Lali. “John Horgan understands rural BC and I believe he can best articulate a vision for our province that will appeal to rural voters. He truly represents real change that puts people first. John is passionate, outspoken and believes that good public policy requires healthy and open debate,” said Lali.
Horgan welcomes Lali, an MLA from the Interior of BC, to Team Horgan.
“Harry is the longest serving Indo-Canadian and rural MLA in the BC Legislature today,” said Horgan. “He brings with him sixteen years of experience, ten of them in government, and I amlooking forward to working with Harry on issues important to rural BC and to our multicultural
communities.”
Lali was born in Jullundur District, Punjab, and currently lives in Merritt. He was educated at the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia and is a four-term MLA. He was first elected as a Merritt councillor in 1988, and then elected MLA for Yale-Lillooet in 1991, re-elected in 1996 and again in 2005. Lali was re-elected for his fourth term as MLA for the
newly-created Fraser-Nicola constituency in 2009. From 1998-2001, Lali served as the Minister of Transportation and Highways.
“John knows how to encourage discussion and debate and I am confident he will include all British Columbians in his government – not just special friends and insiders as we have seen in the last ten years. John is a man of integrity and possesses the necessary skills, passion and energy New Democrats need to win the next election."