2 UCP-affiliated MLAs vote with opposition NDP on health care inquiry

Are there cracks forming in the United Conservative Party? That’s the question as two MLAs elected under the UCP banner have voted with the opposition NDP.

“I’ll take a rain check, but we’ll be talking soon,” said Suspended Airdrie-Cochrane UCP MLA Peter Guthrie, refusing to take questions from media in the legislature on Tuesday. 

Guthrie previously stepped down as Alberta’s Infrastructure Minister and was suspended by the United Conservative Party caucus in February after he called for Health Minister Adriana Lagrange to be moved until investigations are complete into allegations lobbed by the former Alberta Health Services CEO into contract corruption.

Guthrie in the legislative assembly Monday – once again calling out the UCP’s handling of the scandal without a public inquiry and his suspension.

“To properly represent my constituents, I cannot be held in perpetuity to a suspension from the caucus, which comes with a gag order. I am now at day 48 of my so-called 30-day suspension, impeding my democratic right to represent the people of Airdrie-Cochrane,” he explained.

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Both Guthrie and independent MLA Scott Sinclair, who was booted from the UCP caucus earlier this year after not supporting the provincial budget, voted with the opposition NDP for a public inquiry into the AHS corruption allegations. 

While that motion was defeated, Tom Vernon, a senior consultant at Crestview Strategy, says it could be showing cracks forming in the UCP party.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen — particularly not the UCP — members going against their own government and voting with the NDP on this one. I’ll be interested to see how the Premier and how the government caucus manage this. It is a very slim majority government,” said Vernon.

Premier Danielle Smith disagrees with Guthrie, saying his fate with the party is still up in the air.

“That’s a caucus decision, and we don’t talk about internal caucus matters here,” said Smith.

Vernon expects it could be a long road back to the party for those two MLAs.

“Yeah, this is something where they didn’t just go against the government, but they voted alongside the NDP, it might be tough for them to find the votes in caucus to be brought back into the fold.”

Opposition NDP leader Naheed Nenshi is calling on other UCP MLA’s Tuesday to follow the example of Guthrie and Sinclair. 

“It is so obvious every day in question period that members of that caucus are increasingly uncomfortable with the premier,” said Nenshi.