Rick Fraser leaves UCP to sit as Independent
Posted Sep 21, 2017 11:37 am.
Last Updated Sep 21, 2017 12:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There was another defection from Alberta’s new United Conservative Party, Thursday morning.
MLA for Calgary South East, Rick Fraser quit caucus to sit as an Independent.
Fraser told 660NEWS, his decision was not a condemnation for any particular party, “For my constituents and the things, the issues they’re facing around the economy; things like education and other social issues, health care, the environment, that, you know, my hope is to raise the level of the dialogue, you know, to find some common ground without partisanship that, you know, hopefully will serve Albertans better.”
First elected as a member of the Progressive Conservative party in 2012, he Fraser was re-elected to the same riding in 2015.
“I made a commitment that I would give it a try,” he said referring to the joining of the two right wing Alberta parties, “but I was elected as Progressive Conservative. There was a decision, certainly, by some people that bought memberships around that — I still stand as a private member for Calgary South East and I will continue to focus that in Calgary South East — we’re going to continue to need new schools.”
In a letter, posted on his Twitter account, Fraser said “there has been an overwhelming focus on politics in Alberta and not on the people of Alberta.”
“You look at the example, in the United States, where, you know, half the electorate is very angry and upset, and the other half is fine and — they’re not developing policies that are going to bring people together,” he said, adding he doesn’t want that divided system to settle in Alberta.
“It’s in my ability to sit as an Independent and work with whoever, and other legislators and other private members in the legislature to speak about those policies drive that agenda forward.”
Fraser is the third member of the UCP caucus to leave since the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties voted in July to merge.
Richard Starke refused to join the new party and remains a Progressive Conservative in the house, while former UCP Finance Critic Derek Fildebrandt resigned, in August, after questions arose about his expenses and an apparent hit and run incident.
