UPDATE: BC United MLA confirms defection to BC Conservatives

(UPDATE: July 30 at 11:48 am): The defection of Teresa Wat from BC United to the Conservative Party of BC has now been confirmed.

In a news release distributed by her new party this morning, Wat, the MLA for Richmond North Centre, said she intends to run for election in the Richmond Bridgeport riding in the October 19 election.

She said it was not an "easy decision" to leave BC United, for whom she has served as an MLA since 2013. She said she'd been thinking about it "for many months."

“After countless conversations with the constituents in my riding of Richmond North Centre, it became clear that the number one priority I hear all day, every day, is that the BC NDP must be defeated in the next election," she explained.

Teresa Wat for Richmond-Bridgeport! Teresa Wat has served as the MLA for Richmond Centre since 2013, winning re-election in 2017 and 2020. She plans to run for re-election in the Richmond-Bridgeport district in the next provincial election.

Meet Teresa: https://t.co/zVKINtUosZ pic.twitter.com/vhCpP0rsNN

— Conservative Party of BC (@Conservative_BC) July 30, 2024

"The cost of having the NDP in government, to our economy and to our society, is too high. It has also become clear that the best party to defeat the NDP is the BC Conservative Party.”

She becomes the third BC United MLA to switch over to the BC Conservatives since John Rustad became the party's leader in 2023.

Wat said Rustad would "deliver common sense change" for BC.

Rustad in turn praised his newest recruit as a "dedicated and hardworking representative."

"Her decision to join the BC Conservative Party is a testament to our shared vision for a prosperous and thriving British Columbia,” he added.

“Teresa’s experience and commitment to free enterprise principles will be invaluable as we work together to defeat the BC NDP and implement policies that support economic growth and individual freedoms. We are thrilled to have her on board and look forward to her contributions to our team.”

(Original story: July 30 at 4:55 am): BC United Leader Kevin Falcon is losing a third member of the legislature to the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

BC United's director of communications Adam Wilson says in a statement that Teresa Wat, who represents the riding of Richmond North Centre, has indicated her intention to join John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives.

Wat was elected under the BC Liberal banner three times beginning in 2013, prior to the party changing its name to BC United.

Wilson says the party wants candidates who share its vision and values and if Wat feels that her values better align with Rustad's, "we wish her well."

Wat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

BC United has lost several high-profile candidates and members of the legislature to the provincial Conservatives.

Lorne Doerkson, who represents Cariboo-Chilcotin, left the party to join Rustad in May and Surrey's Elenore Sturko did the same in June.

– With files from Canadian Press