The doctor is out: Star BC United candidate suspends campaign

FILE: Dr. Claudine Storness-Bliss speaks to CTV News about emergency department closures at B.C. hospitals, on Aug. 2, 2024.

One of the star candidates for the BC United party has suspended her campaign to represent the people of Surrey-Cloverdale, a week after her party imploded in stunning fashion.

Dr. Claudine Storness-Bliss, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Surrey Memorial Hospital, told CTV News that she’s pulling the plug after careful consideration.

“I have not been approached by the Conservatives and after careful consideration, I would not accept any offer,” she said. “While we agree on many things, there are some crucial opinions that I cannot align myself with.”

The BC Conservatives have spent days considering which BC United candidates to welcome into their ranks, and which previously-approved candidates from their own slate they would continue to support; they have already removed some controversial members while other BC United candidates or sitting MLAs decide their own political futures.

Storness-Bliss has been clear that she joined the political arena with the goal of improving the health-care system, which has been particularly strained south of the Fraser where the booming population has not seen services keeping pace.

“Running as independent wouldn’t help me get to that goal,” she said. “So sadly, I’m folding my tent.”

The expert in women’s health and complex laparoscopic surgery added that she’d gladly work with any government to help improve the system, in whatever capacity they see fit, and that “Hopefully, whichever party is elected decides to make use of that (offer).”