MLA speaks out about suspension

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

The controversial decision by Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean to implement a suspension from caucus on his Strathmore-Brooks representative was lifted May 31, when he reinstated Derek Fildebrandt to the Wildrose caucus after the incident caused an outcry of support across the province for the shadow finance critic and raised questions about the party’s instability.
Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt had been at the centre of criticism in the past over comments made on social media, but faced a severe slap on the wrists last Friday when he replied to a message left on Facebook by one of his constituents that contained a transphobic remark.
The Fildebrandt supporter applauded the politician for his work in the legislature, then referred to the Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne as Mr. followed by a statement that questioned her gender identification, and then acknowledged the pride he felt for having Fildebrandt as his MLA. In response, Fildebrandt replied to being equally proud to having this individual as a constituent. When light was shed on the homophobic comment, Fildebrandt quickly apologized for his reply, stating he had made a mistake by not reading the message properly, that it was inappropriate, and assured the province such opinions did not align with his personal views.
The incident occurred only a day after Fildebrandt announced in the legislature that “Ontario currently faces the largest subnational sovereign debt on the planet” and referred to it as a failed government. He further questioned why Alberta had invited Premier Wynne, who was sitting in the Speaker’s gallery at the time, instead of neighbouring Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall – questions which had been written and approved by Party Leader Jean himself, the Strathmore-Brooks Constituency Association said.
“This was absolutely ridiculous, Derek did nothing seriously wrong and at the very least this was a massive overreaction or at worst a backroom political power-play to get rid of Derek,” said Ronda Klemmensen, president of the Strathmore-Brooks Constituency Association.
“All his major critics in these areas accepted the apology. Obviously Derek had massive support in our constituency as well as right across Alberta. This left him no choice but to end this outrageous political game. I and Wildrose members and supporters are delighted that Derek was fully reinstated to the Wildrose caucus. It’s this sort of thing that unfortunately keeps really good people out of Politics.”
Klemmensen was among no fewer than seven other constituency association presidents that signed a letter to the executive committee that called for the immediate reinstatement of Fildebrandt to the caucus.
Fildebrandt’s social media was also flooded with messages of support, and a poll asking Albertans whether the suspension from the Wildrose caucus should’ve occurred showed that, out of nearly 3,500 responses, 70 per cent were in opposition of the decision to suspend.
“I’m happy to be fully reinstated to the Wildrose caucus,” Fildebrandt told the Strathmore Times. “Political drama doesn’t help anybody. I was honoured with the outpouring of support from constituents and party members right across Alberta. I felt alone when this first happened, but I’m honest to God touched by the support I’ve received. Now It’s time to work and focus on providing a strong viable alternative to the NDP.”
Jean announced he had been transparent in the past about his stance regarding no tolerance for comments regarding intolerance of any individual and possible significant consequences for such mistakes. He further said that Fildebrandt had a long series of missteps on social media and the latest incident was inconsistent with values of the caucus. However, he did mention that Fildebrandt did apologize for the comment and thanked him for the apology.
A statement was issued by the Wildrose Party earlier this week announcing the caucus had voted to lift the suspension effective immediately. According to the statement, Fildebrandt agreed to improve on how he handles and controls his social media, which includes hiring a social media manager to deal with public interactions.
“Derek is an important member of our Wildrose team and we all expect him to have a bright future within our organization,” said Wildrose Leader Brian Jean.
“Along with our entire Wildrose team and the broader conservative family, we look forward to Derek joining us once again to work on building a united conservative alternative that invites and attracts Albertans from all backgrounds who believe in smaller government, strong families an safe communities.”
Fildebrandt was pleased to rejoin his colleagues and move forward with the party’s and his political agenda.