A rural United Conservative backbencher kicked out of caucus last week for opposing the government’s budget says he’s disappointed but isn’t ruling out a return to the party.
Scott Sinclair, the now-independent legislature member for Lesser Slave Lake, has been critical of the proposed budget for spending more on Edmonton and Calgary than rural communities like his.
He says he stands by those concerns, and the feedback he’s received from his constituents for speaking up has been overwhelmingly positive.
Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair sworn in as a parliamentary secretary and posing with Premier Danielle Smith in Edmonton on Thursday, August 17, 2023.
Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta
Sinclair says he has no plans to cross the floor and join the Opposition NDP.
He says he’s spoken with Premier Danielle Smith since being ousted from caucus and he hopes to keep the lines of communication open.
With Sinclair sitting as an independent, the UCP now have an 11-seat majority in the 87-seat house.