Elenore Sturko is a Canadian politician who currently serves as a

member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA) of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. First elected in a 2022 by-election in

Surrey South Surrey South is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from ...

as a member of the BC Liberal Party (later renamed

BC United BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

), she

crossed the floor In some parliamentary systems (e.g., in Canada and the United Kingdom), politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a political party different from the one they were initially elected under. I ...

to join the

BC Conservatives The Conservative Party of British Columbia, commonly known as the BC Conservatives and colloquially known as the Tories, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is the main rival to the governing British Columbia New Demo ...

in June 2024, and was elected in

Surrey-Cloverdale Surrey-Cloverdale is a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Demographics Geography 1999 redistribution Changes to Surrey- ...

in that year's provincial election.

Biography

Sturko resides in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

with her wife Melissa and their three children. Sturko graduated from Kamloops Senior Secondary, then entered the broadcasting industry by joining

CFJC-TV CFJC-TV ( analogue channel 4) is a television station in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, affiliated with Citytv. Owned by the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, the station has studios on Pemberton Terrace and Columbia Street West in Kamloops, a ...

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...

. She became a reservist with the

Canadian Forces Air Command The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air force, air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the un ...

in 2007, serving with the

Yellowknife Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of t ...

-based

440 Transport Squadron 440 Transport Squadron is a unit of the Canadian Armed Forces under the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is part of 8 Wing and works closely with Joint Task Force (North) in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Based at Yellowknife Airport and o ...

. She then joined the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(RCMP) in 2009, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant. During this time she initially served in Langley before transferring back to

in 2012 working as a frontline police officer and later as a community policing and media relations officer. She traveled extensively in the North, working with Indigenous communities, and participated in the Arctic Sovereignty Patrol. Sturko and her family moved to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

in 2016, joining the

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

Musical Ride and also participating in the 2017 cross-country tour celebrating Canada 150. Stationed in

since 2018, she became a spokesperson for the Surrey RCMP. Throughout her career she has served as an advisor on issues related to gender, sexual orientation, and harassment.

Political Career

Following

Stephanie Cadieux Stephanie Cadieux (born 1972 or 1973) is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a BC Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election, representing the riding of Surrey-Panorama. After the 201 ...

's resignation as

MLA, Sturko was approached by

BC Liberal BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

leader

Kevin Falcon Kevin Falcon is a Canadian provincial politician who has been the leader of BC United since 2022 and was the Leader of the Opposition from 2022 to 2024. He was the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Vancouver-Quilchena ...

to run as the party's candidate, and was elected to the

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

in the September 2022 by-election. She was named the official opposition education critic that October, and became shadow minister for Mental Health, Addiction, Recovery and Education that December. On June 3, 2024, she announced her decision to leave BC United and sit in the legislature as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, becoming the party's fourth MLA. She contested the electoral district of

in that October's provincial election, defeating the incumbent

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

candidate

Mike Starchuk Mike Starchuk is a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2020 to 2024, representing the electoral district of Surrey-Cloverdale as part of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. Bi ...

to become that riding's MLA. She was named to Conservative leader

John Rustad John Rustad (born August 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the Opposition in British Columbia since 2024 and as the leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia since 2023. He has served as the member ...

's shadow cabinet that November, serving as critic for Solicitor General and Public Safety. A leaked letter signed by 13 BC Conservative MLA's attacking Sturko exposed a rift within this new party weeks after it became the official opposition. This group sent a letter to party leader

raising concerns about public comments Sturko made on November 23, 2024 regarding the appropriateness for the

Vancouver Police Board The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) () is the police force in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Greater Vancouver, Metro Vancouver Area and is the second largest police force in the provinc ...

to accept the resignation of vice-chair Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba after Sakoma-Fadugba made anti-immigration, racist, and transphobic comments on social media. This letter was sent by BC Conservative

MLAs A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nationa ...

who rallied behind Sakoma-Fadugba calling her a victim of

cancel culture Cancel culture is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professio ...

, and called Rustad to ask Sturko, whom they believe spoke out of turn, to send a written apology to Sakoma-Fadugba. Sturko responded saying she has no plans to change her statement.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturko, Elenore Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Canadian women politicians Women MLAs in British Columbia BC United MLAs British Columbia Conservative Party MLAs Canadian LGBTQ people in provincial and territorial legislatures Canadian lesbian politicians People from Surrey, British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia