The fallout of Comfort Sakoma’s resignation from the Vancouver Police Board appears to have exposed a rift within the Conservative Party of BC.

At the centre of what some describe as the Sakoma-Sturko controversy is MLA Elenore Sturko, the recently elected MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale. She was one of several MLAs to cross the floor to the Conservatives from the now-defunct BC United, prior to the election.

Following Sakoma’s abrupt resignation from the board, supposedly over her support of parental rights, opposition to mass immigration, and supporting Christian values in Canada, MLA Sturko inflamed backlash against Sakoma, claiming her values were “offensive” to the transgender community and made duties harder for frontline workers.

Weeks passed without Sturko offering an apology for her comments, prompting internal discord within the Conservative caucus.

A letter signed by 13 BC Conservative MLAs, addressed to party leader John Rustad, called on Sturko to reconcile with Sakoma for the sake of the party’s core values. The letter was eventually leaked to the public, intensifying speculation of a moral divide within the Conservative Party, a supposed bastion of free speech.

Party leader John Rustad later addressed the controversy on social media, sharing his perspective after meeting Sakoma in her home.

“I’m grateful to Comfort Sakoma for inviting me into her beautiful home to share a meal with her, as we approach the auspicious holy day of Christmas,” Rustad stated. “Together, we talked about our shared values of family, faith, and community and about what it means to be proudly Christian and proudly conservative.”

Rustad reiterated his support for Sakoma while emphasizing the importance of free speech within the party. “I support Comfort Sakoma and I don’t believe she should have been asked to quit the VPD police board. However, I also understand the critical importance of freedom of speech, particularly for MLAs.” He added, “Personally, I believe MLA Sturko should meet with Comfort Sakoma before drawing further judgment — Comfort is a wonderful person with so much to offer, and I hope she continues to advocate for the conservative movement.”

In response, Sturko said she had no intention of meeting with Sakoma or issuing an apology.

“When I was a police officer, I dedicated my life to serving all British Columbians regardless of race, religion, sex, or creed. I swore an oath to serve & protect everyone in our beautiful province,” she wrote. “My focus remains steadfast on holding the NDP to account for destroying our health care & education systems, making life unaffordable, and pushing radical drug liberalization policy that caused 15,000 British Columbians to lose their life to addiction in the last 8 years.” Wrote Sturko.

Sakoma questioned whether Sturko was a "Manchurian Candidate" attempting to subvert the Conservative Party from within.

In today’s report, I walk you through a bit of history regarding Sturko’s ideological views, including her pride in being the catalyst for a Surrey police detachment raising the Pride flag ceremoniously in 2019.

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