Alberta MLA Scott Sinclair rejoins UCP after being booted from caucus last year
Posted May 7, 2026 12:07 pm.
Last Updated May 7, 2026 1:06 pm.
A rural Alberta MLA who has been serving as an independent since being booted from the United Conservative Party last year is returning to the UCP caucus.
Scott Sinclair, the MLA for Lesser Slave Lake, northwest of Edmonton, was welcomed back into Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP caucus on Thursday. It comes one day after Sinclair issued an apology to his former UCP colleagues in the legislature.
Sinclair was expelled from the UCP caucus in March 2025 after threatening to not support the budget. At the time, the backbencher cited the budget’s funding for big cities — at the expense of rural areas — as a major reason for dissenting.
“Over the past year, I’ve taken some time to reflect on certain moments and on how I chose to raise concerns publicly, particularly when it came to colleagues and teammates in government,” Sinclair wrote on X Thursday.
“Looking back, there were times I let passion and emotion lead my decisions. My public criticism of the Premier and the government, particularly around the budget, came from passion for our riding, but I recognize now there was a better way to handle those disagreements.
“I’ve always stood up for my constituents, and that’ll never change. But I’ve learned that how I raise concerns matters and that I’m best able to serve the people I represent when I work as part of a strong team.”
Alberta Premier Smith said she was “very glad” to have Sinclair back on the UCP team.
“Scott has always been a strong advocate for Lesser Slave Lake and for northern Alberta, and I know how deeply he cares about the people and communities he represents,” Smith wrote on X. “I want to thank him for the sincere effort he has made to reconnect with caucus and rejoin our team. I look forward to working together again on behalf of Albertans.”
Chief government whip Justin Wright said Sinclair demonstrated a “renewed commitment to serve as a member of the government caucus” after a period of reflection.
“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,” Wright said in a statement.
“We look forward to working together to continue building a strong Alberta, with MLA Sinclair as a member of our team.”
After being kicked out of caucus, Sinclair went on to attempt to start a rival party — alongside former UCP member Peter Guthrie — under the once-dominant Progressive Conservative brand in Alberta.
The UCP pushed back, saying the PC name, logo and history legally belong to it as a legacy party of the UCP. The Progressive Conservatives ran Alberta’s government for more than four decades before collapsing and merging with the Wildrose Party into the new United Conservatives in 2017. The UCP has been Alberta’s governing party since 2019.
Sinclair and Guthrie were hit with a lawsuit in November 2025 from the United Conservative Association, which argued the pair’s attempted rebranding harmed the UCP’s reputation and would confuse Albertans.
On Wednesday in the legislature, Sinclair apologized to Smith and his former UCP colleagues.
“Public criticism of the premier and the government, particularly around the budget, was a short-sighted and passionate response,” he said.
“What I failed to recognize a year ago is that this government is making record investments in northern Alberta. This government has provided critical funding for highway 88, a brand new corridor with highway 686, and for the protection of communities from forest fires in Lesser Slave Lake and all over the north for years to come.”
On Thursday, the Lesser Slave Lake wrote the UCP caucus is “where I belong.”
“This is an exciting day for our riding and I’m ready to get back to work in government,” his social media post reads.
–With files from The Canadian Press
