He rides a motorbike, used to rodeo, and now he’s steering his way through a snap election campaign as leader of the B.C. Conservatives. It wasn’t that long ago that Lorne Doerkson was a relatively low-profile MLA representing Cariboo-Chilcotin. These days, the 58-year-old is taking centre stage for his party. On Thursday night, that included being cheered by a large crowd of supporters during a rally in Surrey. “It was a huge crowd, and I absolutely love that part of this,” he said in a one-on-one interview with CTV News right after the event. Doerkson never sought the leadership job, but he’s been embracing his new role, even if the limelight isn’t something he’s used to. “I’m not an expert politician and I’m sure I’ll make the odd mistake, and I get nervous when someone hands me a microphone. But the reality is, I’m a committed guy,” he said. In September, the B.C. Conservatives were losing MLAs, deeply divided and without a leader after Kerry-Lynne Findlay stepped down. Doerkson and his wife Shelley were in an Amsterdam airport on a layover when he was asked by his party to lead it. “Obviously, the party was pretty fractured at that point. We had a number of members who had left. My focus was really (to) get them back under the tent, so to speak. And we were successful in doing that,” he explained. Convincing his wife of 25 years that he should take on the role would prove a tougher challenge “No, she was not thrilled with that idea,” he recalled. “But I meant what I said tonight. She texted me just a couple days ago and said, ‘Let’s do this.’ So, it feels great to have her behind me, for sure.” Doerkson is a former newspaper publisher who later moved into financial planning. When he’s not working, he loves spending time at home and with his family, including his granddaughter. He also enjoys the outdoors. “I am probably the best fly fisherman in British Columbia,” he joked. “But I haven’t had time to do that.” A younger Doerkson liked to rodeo, competing in bareback and ending up with broken bones and a dislocated shoulder. “Sadly, I wasn’t very good at it, but I enjoyed the heck out of it,” he said. In taking the reins of the Conservatives, Doerkson said if he has one strength, it’s that he will “always try to listen.” During this election campaign, he’s charged forward with laser-focused purpose. “I really do love our province and I’m telling you … when I think of what our future could be, I just get absolutely excited about it. So, for me, right now … I’m completely in the zone,” he explained. “I just love what we’re doing. I love the people that are embracing us.” He said the opportunity to bring positive change for B.C. is what motivates him. “We have to do better. I mean, we can put men and women on the moon. I can not believe that we can’t figure out how to keep a hospital open in 100 Mile House, or wherever,” Doerkson told CTV News. “So, I am very committed to that. And the opportunity to potentially change that, is, I think, is the best thing of all of this for me.” Whether British Columbians want change will be decided Saturday.
