VICTORIA — Another BC United member has left the party to join the Conservative Party of BC just months before the provincial election.

Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko says in a statement that she’s joining the provincial Conservatives to “rebuild the coalition that’s needed to defeat the NDP.”

Her move comes after Lorne Doerkson, the former BC United caucus chair, defected from the official Opposition on Friday, bringing the number of Conservative members in the legislature to four.

The Conservatives rejected a proposal last month from BC United to create a “non-competition” agreement, with Conservative Leader John Rustad and BC United Leader Kevin Falcon blaming each other for the talks’ collapse.

Sturko says in her statement that it’s easy to ignore the polls, but it is impossible to dismiss what she’s hearing when she’s talking to voters.

She says she doesn’t believe the New Democrat government deserves to win the next election, but when the vote is split between the BC United and Conservative parties, they are handing the NDP victory.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press