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VICTORIA — With the NDP government approaching the six-month mark of its term, Premier John Horgan met with reporters this week to lay out his goals for the year ahead.

The federal government-imposed deadline for cannabis legalization will take up the bulk of the legislative time in the coming session of the house, starting Feb. 13.

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“We have an awful lot of work to do,” Horgan conceded. “But I made a commitment to the prime minister that B.C. was going to meet the timelines. Other jurisdictions are doing their best to meet the July deadline, and we’re going to do that as well.”

The focus of the provincial budget, due Feb. 20, will be the first substantive steps toward establishing “a robust, accessible, affordable child-care program for all British Columbians,” plus measures to tackle the demand and the supply side of the housing affordability equation.

“You have to do both,” said Horgan, discounting one-sided solutions. “You have to deal with demand, and you have to deal with supply.”