B.C. United MLA Elenore Sturko defects to Conservatives
Another high-profile B.C. United MLA has crossed the floor to join the B.C. Conservatives, in the latest blow to the official Opposition.
Elenore Sturko, MLA for Surrey South, made the announcement at the legislature Monday morning standing next to B.C. Conservatives Leader John Rustad.
She said some might call it a "plot twist" but "we can only ignore the polls so long."
Sturko will run in the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale in the provincial election later this year.
She said she "thought long and hard" about making the move.
"It was a tough decision and ultimately I decided that I wanted to do the right thing and that is to join John and his team," said Sturko. She said the B.C. Conservatives are leading a "grassroots movement" that she believes can defeat the governing B.C. NDP in the next election.
B.C. United has been sagging in major opinion polls, falling a distant third place behind the provincial NDP and Conservatives.
B.C. United and the B.C. Conservatives had held talks to discuss a non-compete deal in certain ridings but they fell apart last month.
On Friday, B.C. United's caucus chair Lorne Doerkson defected to the B.C. Conservatives.
Doerkson, MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, said the Oct. 19 election is "simply too consequential" and his constituents want to see a Conservative government.
Sturko's defection means the B.C. Conservatives now have four MLAs.
A former Surrey RCMP officer, Sturko was considered a star candidate for B.C. United when she won the Surrey South byelection. Sturko and her wife Melissa have three children.
Elenore Sturko pictured in 2019, when she was an RCMP media relations officer. (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)
She has been a vocal critic of the government's decriminalization policy, which was walked back in April, and has raised concerns about prescription opioids being diverted to the streets.
B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon said on CKNW this morning he considers Sturko's defection a "personal betrayal."
B.C. United spokesperson Adam Wilson said in a statement: "Elenore's decision to run for a party that is so out of line with her values and priorities in a new riding is shocking, and shows she cares more about her pension than her principles."
On the weekend, NDP MLA Mable Elmore shared a social media post from Paul Ratchford, the B.C. Conservative candidate for Vancouver Point Grey, in which he called Sturko a "woke, lesbian, social justice warrior."
Asked about these comments, Sturko said she has not abandoned the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Last week, Damon Scrase was forced to drop out as B.C. Conservative candidate for Courtney-Comox after offensive social media posts from his past resurfaced.
Among the now-deleted posts was one in which Scrase said Pride parades have become a place where "perverts expose themselves to children for kicks."
