In mid-May, a group of prominent local folks called MLA Lorne Doerkson to a meeting in Williams Lake to give him a piece of their mind. The dozen or so long-time residents and supporters had a message, according to Doerkson: We aren’t going to continue supporting you, unless you switch parties.
“There was an instance where a number of business people had invited me to join them for conversation and basically had suggested they were going to put their support behind the party they felt were best suited to take on the NDP,” Doerkson said in an interview.
“That was really the turning moment for me, frankly, because then I realized these were supporters of mine that had decided they were going to move on to another party because they felt that committed to removing the NDP.”
For Doerkson, it brought home what he said had been several months of people stopping him on the street expressing concern that he was failing to recognize the surge of support for the BC Conservatives in the riding of Cariboo-Chilcotin.
“Polling has got everybody on pins and needles for sure,” said Doerkson. “Definitely there is wind in the sails of the Conservative party, it can’t be denied.
“It would be on a rare occasion I’d walk down the street in my community that different groups, different people, wouldn’t make it very clear to me that I really needed to consider making this move.”
Williams Lake definitely has a deep well of right-wing supporters, and there was also reported pressure behind-the-scenes on Doerkson from people like former MLA Donna Barnett and former mayor Walt Cobb, to consider switching teams.
Ultimately Doerkson jumped ship, becoming the first of a new crop of MLAs to cross the floor from BC United to the BC Conservatives on the eve of the October provincial election.
But the way he did it has angered former colleagues.
Colleague-turned-political opponent
On Wednesday May 29, Doerkson was chairing a United caucus meeting, without any sign that something was up. On Friday, he was standing beside Conservative leader John Rustad to announce his defection. The duplicity has left his colleagues livid, and say the move may end up costing Doerkson more than he knows.
Around the same time as Doerkson was meeting with business people and solidifying his decision to change parties, neighbouring BC United MLA Jackie Tegart was busy touring Doerkson around the communities being redistributed away from her Fraser-Nicola riding and into the southern portion of his riding for the upcoming election.
The two friends, who’d been bubble buddies during the COVID pandemic, had grown a close bond over the last four years. They dressed up in era-appropriate vintage clothing to attend the Clinton Annual Ball — one of the biggest events on the social calendar in that village, where everyone who is anyone attends the rodeo and annual social event.
“We were on the front page of the Ashcroft Journal together at the Clinton May Ball,” Tegart said in an interview.
“We walked in together, had photos taken together, and I was introducing him to all the people in the room.”
‘I feel totally used’
When Tegart learned Doerkson was changing parties, at first she was sad. Then angry. Then absolutely livid, as she realized he was holding talks with the Conservatives behind her back while at the same time she was taking him around her communities of 70 Mile House, Loon Lake, Cache Creek and Ashcroft, vouching for him to influencers whose support he needed for the first time in the upcoming election.
“We’d been at the Clinton Ball at his request, for me to introduce him to everybody, and I did it as a colleague who was running for our party,” she said.
“We did coffee parties together. I took him all around. To have him turn his back on us — I thought Lorne was the kind of guy that with a handshake, he was pretty straight-forward, and you could trust. But it makes me more than a little angry.
“I feel totally used. He used me to get credibility in the riding. That’s not a loyal person. I trusted him, and it was certainly devastating.”
“He used me to get credibility in the riding.”
Jackie Tegart
Tegart said her fury only deepened upon hearing Doerkson tell a local radio station that he’d been in backchannel talks with the Conservatives for at least six weeks — a period of time which covers much of her touring him around his new communities.
“We advertised and said come and meet MLAs Tegart and Doerkson,” she said. “We did coffee parties in Cache Creek, Ashcroft and Clinton. He asked me to assist him and I was happy to do that because I thought I knew who he was. But now I realize I don’t know who he is at all.”
Constituents celebrate party switch
Doerkson said he’s not experiencing any backlash since announcing his party switch. If anything, he said, the people in his riding appear to be celebrating the move.
“The support has been overwhelming,” he said. “I would definitely suggest I’ve had hundreds reach out… most people have been incredibly supportive to make the move.”
“The support has been overwhelming.”
Lorne Doerkson
Still, he said, he was nervous. Doerkson is not a high-profile mover and shaker at the legislature. A former newspaper publisher and small business owner, rarely is he in the political spotlight as a headline newsmaker like he became when he crossed the floor.
While he may not be a household name for most of British Columbia, Doerkson was a big deal inside the BC United party. He had served as caucus chair, a leadership role inside the United party where he was responsible for talking with everyone on the team, helping facilitate meetings, solving problems, coming up with solutions, and strategizing for the party’s future.
He leaves United for the Conservatives with a wealth of sensitive insider information, including United’s upcoming policy announcements, candidate appointments, financial position, messaging, election campaign priorities, war room structure and major fundraisers.
He was also, ironically, fully briefed as one of United’s leadership members during the failed non-compete talks between United and the Conservatives in May. None of his United colleagues knew at the time he was already talking to the Conservatives.
BC United leader disagrees, but understands
United leader Kevin Falcon said he disagreed with Doerkson’s move, but gave him credit for at least having the class to call him and try to explain his decision before jumping teams — something Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko did not do before she defected a few days after Doerkson.
“We had a phone discussion for about 20 minutes,” said Falcon. “I understand when people get nervous and they’re scared and polls make them nervous.”
“I understand when people get nervous … and polls make them nervous.”
Kevin Falcon
Falcon reiterated that he felt voters would ultimately come home to United during the campaign, when they began to actually pay attention to politics, check out the options, and decide who would be the most credible, mature, government-ready alternative to the BC NDP. But Doerkson did not agree.
“I have been concerned for sure under BC United about the possibilities of actually winning here,” Doerkson said.
“There is a movement afoot of conservatives in this province and it’s very strong, particularly in my area.”
MLA vows to help Doerkson’s competition
Doerkson may have secured the support of conservatives in Williams Lake, but in the new corners of his riding — worth as much as 30 per cent of the vote — there are now big question marks, as far as Tegart is concerned.
She intends to make Doerkson’s life difficult. And she can. Doerkson is a rookie MLA and former newspaper publisher. Tegart is a three-term MLA, former three-term Ashcroft councillor and 17-year local school board representative. Her well of contacts is deep.
She said she will personally oversee finding BC United a new candidate for the riding, and then dedicate significant time to taking that person around and re-introducing them all the people she vouched for with Doerkson — while also pointing out Doerkson’s duplicitousness.
“In rural B.C. integrity is everything,” said Tegart.
“I have every intention of helping our party to find a top-quality candidate to run in that riding and I will be going back to the community and working hard to introduce them and make sure that they are connected with the right people.
“I’m feeling more than a little disappointed,” Tegart added.
“But what it’s done is light a fire in my belly to make sure that BC United wins that riding.”
It sets up a fascinating election campaign in what otherwise would have been a pretty low-key part of the province. High-stakes backroom meetings. Shifting allegiances. Bitter betrayal. Revenge served cold. Suddenly, Cariboo-Chilcotin is a riding to watch on election night.