Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken’s neighbour MLA has just been removed from the government caucus, and while van Dijken said his now-former colleague's concerns were valid, he felt they’re missing context.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) government caucus voted to remove Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair from its caucus March 7 after the northern MLA was vocal about his decision to vote against the 2025 provincial budget.
In an afternoon email, the party announced Sinclair’s removal following a vote earlier in the day.
“MLA Sinclair has made it clear, both in his social media posts and in his conversations with colleagues, that he intends to vote against the budget,” read the email.
“Budget votes are confidence votes. The failure of a budget to pass results in an immediate election. All government MLAs are expected to vote in favour of a tabled budget.”
Sinclair was unavailable for comment, but in a March 1 Facebook post the MLA spoke about his discontent with the budget, which he believed prioritized Alberta’s urban centres over its rural ridings.
“While I’m relieved that we’re finally implementing a tax cut, there’s little else to celebrate. In fact, I’m furious at the amount of money being funneled into Edmonton and Calgary (as usual) while Northern Alberta and our riding are largely ignored,” wrote Sinclair.
“This budget is indefensible for the Lesser Slave Lake Constituency, and I will not support or vote for it “as is” without significant changes. I’ll have more to say in the coming days.”
Everything from arena funding to ongoing hospital closures was a target for Sinclair, who was initially elected in the LSL riding in 2023.
“Everyone knows I’m a huge Oilers/Sports fan, but I would never prioritize funding arena projects in major cities while essential infrastructure projects, like Highway 88 in our riding, remain incomplete.”
Local reactions
“I do believe that it’s quite complex and it’s not as easy as to say, “Yeah, it’s black and white, urban gets more than rural,” said van Dijken.
While the MLAs were free to vote their conscience on the decision to remove Sinclair, van Dijken said he wouldn’t be sharing how he voted. Instead, he spoke to the importance of the budget, and the potential consequences of failure.
“It’s the reality of being within government, budget votes are confidence votes. A failure to pass a budget results in an immediate election so these are very important votes,” he said in an interview after the announcement was made.
“I haven’t talked to MLA Sinclair myself, but others have. He was not able to vote in favour of the budget and with that in mind, we need to be very cognizant of the risk within our Westminster parliamentary system.”
The Lesser Slave Lake United Conservative Constituency Association was unable to comment on Sinclair’s removal before publication — this story will be updated with their comments if they do — but in a March 3 letter the group supported its MLA’s comments.
“We are deeply concerned about the current state of our region’s infrastructure, medical services, and education systems. These issues require immediate attention, yet the current budget does not seem to adequately address the specific needs of rural communities like ours,” said the association.
“While we recognize the importance of addressing the needs of urban areas, it is crucial that rural regions, like ours, also receive the support necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents.”
