Alberta MLA booted from caucus after saying he won’t support tabled budget

The United Conservative Party removed a northern Alberta MLA from its caucus on Friday after he indicated on social media that he would not vote in favour of an “indefensible” provincial budget, which he said favoured urban areas over rural communities.Scott Sinclair, a backbencher who was elected to represent the Lesser Slave Lake riding two years ago, posted on Facebook last Saturday that he found last week’s budget “at best, disappointing and, at worst, unacceptable.” He said he is supportive of the UCP’s intention to introduce a tax cut but said a multi-billion dollar deficit is difficult to swallow, adding that he is “furious” at the amount of money being provided to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta’s two largest cities.“The continuous flow of our GDP to urban centers while rural Alberta – the backbone of this province – gets left behind is appalling,” said Mr. Sinclair. “It feels like we’re dealing with a provincial version of federal equalization payments, with rural communities footing the bill for the big cities.”