The United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) has removed the MLA backventure after saying it would vote against the government’s budget bill.
Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair was voted from the Caucus on March 7th, according to Chief Whip Schoen Getson.
“MLA Sinclair has made it clear that he intends to vote against the budget both in his social media posts and in conversations with his colleagues. As an elected MLA, he has the rights, but may not do so as a member of the Government Caucus,” Getson told the Epoch Times in an email statement.
“The budget slip is a trust slip. Failure to pass the budget will result in immediate elections. All government MLAs are expected to vote in favor of the budget expressed. ”
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Sinclair said he was angry at how much money would go to the city, as opposed to the countryside of the state.
“The ongoing flow to the urban areas where rural Alberta, the backbone of the state, remains. With rural communities making big city bills, it feels like they’re dealing with a state version of federal equal pay,” he said.
Sinclair said he wanted to see “real investments” in infrastructure projects in northern Alberta, including repairing roads and bridges, building new schools, and upgrading regional airports.
He said he cannot support the budget or vote for it “without any major changes.”
In response to Sinclair’s post, NDP opposition leader Christina Gray said it was “bad budget.”
Sinclair is the second MLA to be removed from the Caucus in the past few weeks.
Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie recently left the cabinet over concerns over the government-wide contract process. He is reportedly banned from meetings in the Caucus.
The charges in the government contract matters stem from a lawsuit filed by Athana Mentzelopoulos (AHS), former director of Alberta Health Services. She claims she was removed from her role on January 8th as she began an internal investigation into AHS procurement practices.
Prime Minister Daniel Smith says she is not involved. Alberta auditor Doug Wiley is under investigation and third party reviews are also being conducted by the state.
The Canadian media contributed to this article.
