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Unbiased MLA Drew Barnes says he is not going to search the nomination from the UCP, the social gathering that ousted him.
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In an announcement issued Wednesday, the Cypress-Medication Hat MLA dominated out operating for the ruling UCP, however didn’t say whether or not he would search re-election within the driving he first ran beneath the Wildrose Alliance banner in 2012 was not elected.
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Barnes didn’t return a name for clarification.
He vowed to proceed to signify voters’ views as an unbiased MLA.
Even so, he praised one in every of his former social gathering’s signature legislative efforts, the Alberta Sovereignty Inside a United Canada Act, and Premier Danielle Smith’s strikes to completely finish COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“I imagine Premier (Danielle) Smith is honest in her want to claim Alberta’s jurisdictional powers,” he stated.
“I help the Prime Minister’s management marketing campaign to finish vaccine mandates and vaccine passport discrimination by means of modifications to the Human Rights Act.”
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However he added the legislation is barely a primary step in Alberta regaining a good deal inside Confederation, citing points with the carbon tax, equalization funds and the make-up of the nation’s highest court docket.
“This act alone is not going to be sufficient to get the job carried out,” he stated.
Barnes stated final month he wouldn’t rejoin UCP
Smith backtracked on her vow to determine vaccine necessities as discriminatory inside the province’s human rights legislation.
Barnes, together with Central Peace-Notley MLA Todd Loewen, have been pulled from the UCP caucus in Could 2021 after they known as for then-Premier Jason Kenney to resign over his COVID-19 coverage.
Loewen later returned to the UCP fold and is now Minister of Forestry, Parks and Tourism within the Smith-led UCP authorities.
Barnes advised Postmedia final month that he wouldn’t take into account rejoining the PCP due to variations over authorities dimension, tax coverage and how one can handle the province’s physician scarcity.
In October 2022, Smith stated she hoped Barnes would rejoin the social gathering, but additionally stated extra work wanted to be carried out to restore the connection.
Barnes completed second within the 2015 Wildrose Occasion management race, and within the 2019 provincial election he gained his driving for the UCP with 67 % of the vote.
BKaufmann@postmedia.com
Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn
