BREAKING: John Horgan announces he will step down as premier of BC

Horgan cited his lack of energy following a recent successful battle with cancer as the reason behind his decision.

Horgan made the announcement during a press conference in Vancouver.

"My wife Ellie, the love of my life, spent a week … on the west coast of Vancouver Island in my constituency," he began, "reflecting on what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives before I asked that question of my colleagues."

"We came to the conclusion that I’m not able to make another six-year commitment to this job," Horgan continued, adding that he has asked the president of the BC NDP to hold a leadership convention in the fall.

"This has been the thrill of my life to be the premier of British Columbia," he said. "There has been endless speculation as a result of my recent battle with cancer about what my plans would be. I wanna put the speculation to rest so we can get back to what really matters, and that’s the issues before British Columbians."

At sixty-three years old, Horgan has served as premier for five years, and as an MLA for seventeen, spending a total of thirty-six years in public life.

"If you add all that up, it's a lot of intensity," he said, adding that he wanted to pass the torch to the next generation.