A BC United MLA has defected to the Conservative Party of BC.
Lorne Doerkson, who represents the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding, said he is making the switch because “this upcoming election is simply too consequential.”
His constituents, he said, “want to see David Eby defeated and they want to see a common sense Conservative government in Victoria.”
Doerkson was elected in 2020 and had served as the official opposition caucus chair and shadow minister for water, land and resource stewardship as well as rural development and emergency management and climate readiness.
A snapshot from our press conference with Conservative MLA Lorne Doerkson. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/Mq0DYrHKDf
— Conservative Party of BC (@Conservative_BC) May 31, 2024
He spent 20 years in newspapers before moving into the auto industry and finance.
His defection comes exactly a week after BC United Leader Kevin Falcon said talks between his party and the BC Conservatives had failed.
Falcon later told NowMedia that voters should not be “confused” or “conned” by the BC Conservatives who are, he said, putting forward a “clown car of candidates that aren’t ready to govern.”
Indeed, Doerkson's own X account features – as of 1:11 pm today – a post from another user mocking the BC Conservatives for recruiting "extremist" candidates.
Lorne Doerkson for Cariboo-Chilcotin! Lorne was first elected as MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin in 2020.
— Conservative Party of BC (@Conservative_BC) May 31, 2024
Today, Lorne crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party and fight for his constituents in the upcoming provincial election. #bcpoli
Meet Lorne: https://t.co/h2hmIGAoYR pic.twitter.com/9HHg56iXZe
But BC Conservatives Leader John Rustad, who made the defection announcement in Victoria today, said he was “thrilled” to have Doerkson in his party.
“As the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, Lorne has been a tireless advocate for his region and the vital resources within it,” he said.
“Whether it’s natural resources or small business, Lorne is an individual who puts his constituents first and that is exactly the kind of advocate we need in the Legislature. He will be a strong Conservative MLA for the riding.”
Falcon has yet to respond to Doerkson's switch, but BC United's director of communications, Adam Wilson, told NowMedia the party is "disappointed."
Wilson said the BC Conservatives have "candidates who are anti-LGBTQ+, anti-choice, and COVID-19/United Nations conspiracy theorists."
He added: "Lorne’s decision was driven by concern over polls and the desire to protect his government-funded pension, and he will need to defend that decision at the only poll that actually counts – on election day."
A source within the Conservative Party of BC told NowMedia earlier today, however, that Doerkson’s defection will “probably be the first of many.”
The party now has three MLAs, all of them defectors from BC United.
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