Elenore Sturko, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, has not ruled out a run for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party—and she’d consider rejoining the party, if invited back.
Sturko, former Conservative and now independent MLA, left the party after butting heads with former Conservative Party leader John Rustad. With the party caucus recently removing Rustad as leader, that leaves the path open for Sturko to find her way back to the party – or even to run for leader.
“I thought that it was good that they took action to put the party in a better position to form the next government,” Sturko told the Cloverdale Reporter. “I’m grateful to John for giving me my opportunity to run in Cloverdale with this party and also for everything he’s done.”
She said while the party is in transition and looks for a new leader, it’s important to recognize the contribution Rustad made to politics in British Columbia and to the conservative movement.
“He brought the party from, really, nothing to becoming the Official Opposition,” she said. “He should be proud of that. He did a lot of work to get us to where we are today. It’s also with gratitude that I reflect on what’s happened.”
She said the change offers the party a chance for a “reset” and the opportunity to find a way forward as a party to challenge to the NDP.
“The NDP are failing by every metric and we need a change in the province, so this is a good step in the right direction.”
Sturko didn’t say whether she’d take a run at the B.C. Conservative Party leadership or not, but she did say she’s received a lot of support from people both inside and outside of the constituency should she make a decision to run for the leadership of the party. She said she’s been humbled by all the support.
She added many have encouraged her to run for party leader but said she’s Cloverdale first right now.
“It’s something I’d have to think about. My attention and focus has been on fighting for the needs of the people in my riding,” she noted. “I want to make sure that I represent the people of my riding as best I can.”
She’s also been able to focus on the needs of British Columbians as an independent MLA in ways that she couldn’t otherwise, notably her work advocating a change to the Interpretation Act. She wants the requirement that B.C. provincial laws be “interpreted through the lens” of UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) removed. Currently, Section 8.1 of the Interpretation Act “requires judges to interpret every B.C. law using UNDRIP.” This change was made by David Eby when he was Attorney General in 2021.
Sturko noted working as an independent has been a learning process but said she would welcome an invite back to the party.
“As we move forward, I would like to be invited back to sit with the other caucus. If I’m not invited, I intend to continue on as an independent MLA, working hard for my constituents.”
She said before she makes any decisions, she wants to look at what the party plans on doing going forward. She’ll then evaluate that and make a decision about her future.
“Hopefully the party can reset and readjust and make sure the caucus is united going forward. That’s an important step.”
For now, she’ll be focusing on Cloverdale and watching how the workings of the Conservative caucus unfold over the next several weeks, but she noted, first and foremost, she is an MLA for the people of Surrey-Cloverdale.
“My focus right now can’t be on that kind of politics when we have people in my riding going into Christmas in an affordability crisis,” she added. “So, as much as I’m watching with great interest, I’m happy to see some movement on the opposition side, in my opinion, in what puts the opposition in a better position to be able to form the next government. “