POLITICAL PARIAH
Derek Fildebrandt barred from caucus
Derek Fildebrandt was once one of the most high-profile figures on the Alberta political scene, a firebrand MLA with aspirations to a major role in a future conservative government.
Now, Fildebrandt’s political career is in tatters after being blocked Friday from returning to the United Conservative Party caucus and barred from seeking a UCP nomination for the next election by party Leader Jason Kenney.
The move by Kenney followed Fildebrandt pleading guilty to illegal hunting in provincial court Friday, the latest in a string of legal and political problems for the Strathmore-Brooks MLA, who left the UCP caucus to sit as an independent last summer amidst an expense controversy.
In a statement, Kenney said Fildebrandt had not disclosed that he faced illegal hunting charges during a lengthy November meeting with him and UCP House leader Jason Nixon on whether there were outstanding matters that would affect him being readmitted to the caucus.
He said it is clear that Fildebrandt had “deliberately misled us ... consequently, neither I nor our caucus can have confidence in the veracity of his undertakings to us.
“As elected representatives, we must be expected to show the highest level of integrity. MLA Derek Fildebrandt has unfortunately demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that does not meet that standard,” said Kenney, adding that caucus supported the decision.
Kenney was not made available for an interview Friday. It was not immediately clear why the party waited until now to act, as the illegal hunting charges became pub- lic in December. That revelation came just before he was handed a $402 fine on Dec. 18, after admitting a charge of hit and run under the Traffic Safety Act in connection with a collision in June 2016, where he backed into a neighbour’s van in Edmonton.
Fildebrandt told CBC as he was leaving provincial court in Didsbury Friday that in the November meeting with Kenney “he hadn’t expected a grilling about everything going on.
“It had been my intention to discuss it, but I didn’t at the time,” he said.
Fildebrandt did not respond to a request for an interview, but later tweeted “Revolution devours its own children.”
Fildebrandt made his name as the brash Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, where he lashed into what he saw as government excess and unscrupulous actions by provincial politicians. In 2015, he formally entered politics, backing Brian Jean for the leadership of the Wildrose and standing as a candidate for the party, which was reeling from the mass floor-crossing of MLAs to the then-PC government.
After winning the Strathmore-Brooks riding, Fildebrandt was named by Jean as Opposition finance critic, where his outspoken attacks on the ND P’ s financial practices made him at horn in the side of Rachel Notley’s government.
But the relationship between Jean and Fildebrandt soured over time. In 2016, Filde brand twas suspended from the Wild rose caucus for what he said was an inadvertent endorsement of a homophobic social media post, though the suspension was quickly reversed.
The MLA was an early supporter of efforts to unite the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose and publicly backed Ken ne y’ s efforts on that front, which helped lead to the formation of th eu CP last summer.
Fildebrandt started a libertarian political action committee named United Liberty and mused publicly about entering the UCP leader ship race. While he bowed out of the contest, Fildebrandt was expected to play a significant role in the campaign as a backer of Kenney and critic of Jean. That notion fizzled though when it was revealed he had rented out his taxpayerfunded apartment on Airbnb and double-dipped on meal expenses.
NDP House leader Brian Mason said Fildebrandt as an MLA was harshly critical of others’ conduct while seeming to have “a disregard for other people and for the rule of law. It was a very fiery and short political career. But I think that’s kind of it for Mr. Fildebrandt.”
Kenney’s move brought blowback from some UCP supporters on social media, but many of Fildebrandt’s former colleagues declined to comment or did not return messages Friday.
One of Fildebrandt’s friends who did speak, Jordan Katz, said he felt bad for him, but could not blame Kenney for taking the action.
“I don’t think it’s a question of Derek’s integrity,” said Katz, a longtime conservative activist.
“But certainly when you’re part of a team, and you do something that’s going to impact the team, they have a right to know about it.”
Katz said Fildebrandt could now choose to run as an independent, but would likely not fare too well in the next provincial election.
Lethbridge College political scientist Faron Ellis said Kenney clearly sent a message in how he dealt with Fildebrandt that the new party will not put up with “bozo eruptions.”