A former BC NDP cabinet minister says he has no plans to run for office after switching allegiances to the opposition BC United Party.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Harry Lali says he will instead be giving advice on Rural BC issues to leader Kevin Falcon and other party members.

“Who said anything about running?” Lali said. “I’ve gone back to private life. I’m retired and working both at the same time.”

“What really has upset me over the last number of years is progressively the NDP has been abandoning rural British Columbia. They’re not paying the attention that it needs whether its forestry, or agriculture, or rural healthcare and other issues that are related to rural British Columbia.”

In making his decision, in an email to various reporters, Lali says while he no longer supports the NDP in British Columbia, he remains a supporter of Jagmeet Singh and the federal wing of the New Democratic Party.

“Right now, the BC NDP has basically decided that they’re going to cut rural British Columbia loose and all their interests is now going into the urban dominated issues in the Lower Mainland,” Lali added.

First elected in 1991 in Yale-Lillooet, Lali served a total of four terms before he was defeated by current Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart in 2013.

In a statement, the BC NDP says its “not a surprise” to see him join BC United after his NDP membership was terminated in 2020 after he “actively undermined: the Indigenous BC NDP candidate in his riding, Aaron Sumexheltza.

“Mr. Lali tried to appeal this decision for more than six months, including seeking legal advice. Ultimately his attempts to have his BC NDP membership reinstated failed,” BC NDP Provincial Director Heather Stoutenburg, said.

“For several years, Mr. Lali has consistently put his own interests ahead of others in the BC NDP as well as the people of British Columbia”