Alberta’s United Conservatives welcome back former estranged backbencher and critic | Canada Voices

A former backbench member of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative caucus is back in the fold, a day after standing in the house to apologize for past actions and statements.

The caucus, in a statement Thursday, welcomed Scott Sinclair back, more than a year after Sinclair was booted out for threatening to vote against the budget while accusing the government of not doing enough for his Lesser Slave Lake riding.

“Sinclair has spent significant time reflecting on the responsibilities and expectations of government caucus MLAs,” government whip Justin Wright said in the statement.

“Additionally, he expressed deep regret for his previous comments and actions and made clear they were the result of a misunderstanding of the Westminster Parliamentary system and misguided advice.”

Under the Westminster system, a budget vote is critical business: if a government can’t pass a bill to spend money, it raises a larger question about its legitimacy and ability to govern.

Smith, on social media, added, “I want to thank (Sinclair) for the sincere effort he has made to reconnect with caucus and rejoin our team.”

After being booted out, the rookie legislature member sat on the other side of the aisle in the house as an Independent, refashioning himself into a fierce critic of his former caucus.

But on Wednesday, in a prepared speech to the chamber, Sinclair said upon reflection, he was wrong.

He compared politics to hockey, where emotions run high but the collective comes first.

“No individual performance, regardless of passion and emotion, wins championships or experiences success like a strong team does,” he told the house.

Sinclair said while he will always stand up for his constituents, he regrets how he did that “at times.”

“With time and perspective I’ve come to better understand the responsibility that comes with those decisions in a Westminster system and the impact they have not just on the government but on the people we serve,” he said.

“For that I’m sorry.”

He also said that a year ago he failed to recognize that the government is making record investments for people, including his own constituents, in northern Alberta.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the United Conservatives forced Sinclair to publicly debase himself before being allowed back, calling it an instructive lesson in how Smith’s caucus treats people.

“They made him give that groveling apology to the premier today so that he can come back,” Nenshi told reporters Wednesday. “They have humiliated that guy.”

Sinclair’s time in opposition was punctuated by a series of public statements, attacking the UCP.

During that time, he attacked Smith and the UCP on everything from health care to separatism.

He once told the house health care in his constituency was at “rock bottom” while Smith played “musical chairs” with the system.

He called the UCP a “hostile” version of previous Alberta conservative parties and one that needs “to stop blaming Ottawa for everything.” He said the UCP had veered too far into the far right fringe and accused Smith of transforming it from a mainstream coalition into a “separatist party.”

Of Smith’s leadership, he said she “demands obedience and silence instead of welcoming critical thinking and transparency.”

Along with fellow estranged UCP member Peter Guthrie, he sided with the NDP in the house to vote for a judge-led public inquiry into the allegations of corruption in health-care spending.

Last summer, Sinclair joined forces with Guthrie to resurrect the province’s once-dominant Progressive Conservative Party, but the effort was later stymied by legal challenges and UCP legislation that blocked use of the name.

By rejoining the UCP, Sinclair brings the government majority in the house to 48 members. The Opposition NDP has 38 seats, and Peter Guthrie holds one as a Progressive Tory.