The B.C. United suffered another blow Tuesday as its thrice-elected MLA, Teresa Wat, defected to the Conservative Party of British Columbia. 

"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" reads a statement from the Conservatives about their newest caucus member.

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

MLA Wat joins Abbotsford MLA Bruce Banman to cross over to the center-right Conservatives last September. Lorne Doerkson, who represents Cariboo-Chilcotin, also left the party to join Rustad in May and Surrey’s Elenore Sturko did the same in June.

Discussions surrounding the former Multiculturalism Minister's plans to leave B.C. United were swirling before Tuesday's announcement, after the party's director of communications, Adam Wilson, released an emailed statement to the media Monday afternoon. 

"As we gear up for the October election, we want to ensure that all of our candidates share our vision and values. If Teresa Wat feels that her values better align with John Rustad's Party, we wish her well," Wilson said.

Wat says she didn’t take the decision to cross the floor lightly, having contemplated the cross-over "for many months."

Richmond’s Teresa Wat just became the fourth BC United MLA to cross over to John Rustad’s Conservative Party of BC.
More to come @RebelNewsOnline pic.twitter.com/9aYEM3LHE1

— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) July 30, 2024

"I believe that a free enterprise coalition is what British Columbia needs to undo the harmful policies of the BC NDP. I believe that the BC Conservative Party under leader John Rustad is that party that will deliver common sense change and the way forward for British Columbia."

Wat intends to run for re-election in her current riding, which will be renamed Richmond-Bridgepoint ahead of the October provincial election.