MLA Teresa Wat to join other Conservative defectors in new party

A new centre-right political party formed by MLAs Peter Milobar, left, and Ian Paton has nabbed another high-profile name: MLA Teresa Wat, centre.

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A new centre-right political party formed by B.C. Conservative defectors has nabbed another high-profile name.

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Teresa Wat, MLA for Richmond-Bridgeport, announced Friday she has joined the new party, currently led by interim Leader Peter Milobar.

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“British Columbians want a strong, credible alternative to the NDP that is focused on affordability, and competent government,” said Wat. “After careful consideration, I have decided to join Peter and the growing team of sitting MLAs to help build this new party. I believe that this party can bring people together from across our province and replace the NDP as British Columbia’s government.”

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Wat left the B.C. Conservatives in August after private texts between Tory Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and her team surfaced, messages in which Findlay insinuated that Wat was associated with the Chinese Communist Party and that “the Chinese community that supports us knows this.”

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Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat speaks at a Keep Richmond Safe rally in Richmond on Feb. 17. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /10107214A

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The texts had been leaked and shared online in July by an anonymous social media post called the FindlayFiles.

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“These remarks were distasteful, hurtful and made me question my place in the B.C. Conservatives under her leadership,” Wat said at the time.

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Wat was one of seven MLAs who departed Findlay’s party in August, as controversy dogged the Tories and Findlay’s leadership was questioned. Those MLAs include Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day; Delta South MLA Ian Paton; Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird; Kamloops Centre MLA Milobar; Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman; and Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Áʼa:líya Warbus.

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Earlier this month, two more MLAs also left the party, citing lack of confidence in Findlay’s leadership: Boundary-Similkameen MLA Donegal Wilson and Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis.

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“Teresa brings an extraordinary amount of experience to our team, both as a legislator and a former cabinet minister,” said Milobar in a statement Friday. “Our team is growing because there is a clear appetite for a serious alternative to the NDP. British Columbians are tired of out-of-control spending and a government who is responsible for the decline of so many sectors in our province. It’s time for change.”

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Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, top left, and Delta South MLA Ian Paton, top right, have vaulted their yet-to-be-named party to third place in the legislature standings, with three of the other recent defectors from the B.C. Conservatives joining their ranks. On Sept. 4, the pair announced that Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, bottom left, Prince George Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird, bottom middle, and Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Á’a:líya Warbus, bottom right, have all joined the party. Photo by HANDOUT

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It was announced on Sept. 4 that the party, formed by Milobar and Paton, had also recruited Bird, Banman and Warbus.

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Including Wat, the party will now hold six seats when the fall session starts Oct. 5.

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A vote will also be held in October to seek a permanent party leader. The party has yet to be named.

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