By Canadian Press

BC United caucus chair Lorne Doerkson defects to Conservatives

May 31, 2024 | 1:37 PM

VICTORIA — The caucus chair for the BC United party is defecting to the BC Conservatives, adding to the woes of the province’s official opposition.

Lorne Doerkson, who represents Cariboo-Chilcotin, and BC Conservative Leader John Rustad announced the move that increases the party’s numbers in the legislature to three.

The move comes after talks between the two right-of-centre parties broke down amid failure to settle on a deal to avoid vote splitting in the fall provincial election.

Doerkson says in a statement that he made the move because the election set for October is “simply too consequential” and his constituents want to see a Conservative government.

He says the BC Conservatives are the only party capable of defeating the current NDP government.

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Doerkson was first elected in 2020 and has served as BC United’s shadow minister for water, land and resource stewardship and rural development, and emergency management and climate readiness.

Both Rustad and fellow BC Conservative Bruce Banman were previously members of BC United under the party’s former name, the BC Liberals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.

The Canadian Press