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VICTORIA — John Horgan, German ambassador and former premier of British Columbia, has died at the age of 65 after a third battle with cancer.

Horgan served as B.C.’s New Democrat premier for five years before resigning in 2022, then was appointed ambassador last year.

But in June, Horgan announced he was on leave after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and a government source confirmed his death.

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Horgan, who served five terms as a member of the state legislature, resigned from his suburban Victoria seat in March 2023, citing health reasons after undergoing more than 30 radiation treatments to fight throat cancer.

Horgan’s retirement from political life did not last long, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointing him as Canada’s ambassador to Germany in November 2023.

Hamish Telford, a political scientist who teaches at the University of the Fraser Valley, says Horgan has achieved a rare feat in politics: He left office more popular than when he was first elected.

More to come.

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