B.C. premier-designate David Eby announces transition team

Former B.C. attorney general and housing minister David Eby arrives for a news conference in a park in downtown Vancouver, Thursday, October 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

British Columbia's next premier announced some of the key staff who will lead his transition team on Tuesday, saying they will set to work immediately to tackle housing unaffordability, public safety and the strain on the province's health-care system.

Premier-designate David Eby in a statement Tuesday introduced his choices for chief of staff and other key roles as "remarkable people who bring decades of experience along with new insights and perspectives from across the non-profit and private sectors."

Matt Smith, who managed Eby's NDP leadership campaign, will serve as chief of staff, while deputy attorney general Shannon Salter was named deputy minister to the premier and head of the public service.

"With a team that brings new ideas from outside government but also understands how Victoria works, we can get results on the big challenges people in British Columbia are facing," Eby said.

"I'm excited to have such a talented team beside me as we get to work for people."

The premier-designate thanked outgoing chief of staff Geoff Meggs and deputy minister to the premier Lori Wanamaker.

"Matt Smith is a veteran of countless campaigns and has provided strategic advice to leaders across the country," Meggs said in a statement.

"I'm certain he'll bring great commitment and skill to his new responsibilities in the premier's office, continuing the current government's approach of working for people."

Eby became the leader of the B.C. New Democratic Party on Friday, paving the way for his swearing-in as premier in the coming weeks.

He was first elected to the legislature to represent the Vancouver-Point Grey neighbourhood in 2013, when he defeated former premier Christy Clark, forcing her to seek a seat in a Kelowna byelection.

Eby joined cabinet when the NDP took power in 2017 and most recently served as attorney general and minister responsible for housing.

Before entering politics, Eby worked as a human rights lawyer specializing in constitutional and administrative law. He worked as an adjunct law professor at the University of B.C. and led the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, where he authored a guide on what to expect from police and how to act if you're arrested.

With files from The Canadian Press