BC's Finance Minister says the death of BC's first-ever N-D-P premier on Friday at age 87 is the passing of an era.
Carole James says the man she knew was extraordinary, dedicated to serving and helping people, and a premier who helped shape social policy in B.C.
The first political campaign she ever worked on as a teenager was for the Dave Barrett government.
James says Barrett leaves a long lasting legacy in the changes he brought in between f972 and 1976 when he led government:
" You know I don't believe there will ever be a government that will make the kinds of changes that will be long lasting that the Dave Barrett did. Everything from the Agricultural Land Reserve, to the Human Rights Code. They ended the strap, corporal punishment in schools.. They brought in Pharmacare, Question Period., Hansard, public insuranace - auto insurance.
James says Barrett, a former social worker, will be remembered as "the people's premier" and was often spotted walking around James Bay interacting with the public. She says it was his caring for people that drove him and his government, adding he stayed that way to the end.