Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA resigns from United Conservative Party caucus

Don MacIntyre, MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, resigned from the United Conservative Party Caucus on Friday citing family reasons.

“Hi folks. Resigning from politics today to focus on our family. Thanks everyone! #AbLeg #ucp,” the politician tweeted. While MacIntyre’s tweet suggests he is leaving politics entirely, the UCP only confirmed he is leaving their caucus.

“At approximately noon today, Don MacIntyre resigned from the United Conservative Caucus,” UCP Leader Jason Kenney said in a brief statement issued Friday afternoon.

Global News has much more information about this story but is unable to report it because of a court order.

Global News has reached out to both MacIntyre and the UCP for further comment. Late Friday afternoon, a tweet appeared on a twitter account run by the UCP that said “upon the advice of legal council (sic), a court order prohibits us from commenting further at this time. #ableg”

MacIntyre was first elected to the Alberta legislature as a Wildrose Party member in 2015 before the party merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the UCP last year.

He was a a member of the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship and had spent time as shadow minister for electricity and renewables.

Last year, MacIntyre faced calls for his resignation over his controversial views on climate change.

READ MORE: Wildrose nixes NDP call to sack electricity critic over climate change denials

While speaking to reporters about the NDP government’s carbon tax, MacIntyre said it’s not clear how much humans contribute to climate change.

“The science isn’t settled,” he said.

MacIntyre’s name was also tied to a contentious blog post made by several Wildrose members that compared the NDP government’s carbon tax to a famine caused by Soviet government policies in Ukraine during the 1930s that killed millions of people.The Wildrose Party later apologized for the Holodomor blog post.

READ MORE: Alberta’s Wildrose party apologizes for comparing carbon tax to Ukrainian genocide

Before entering politics, MacIntyre’s biography online says he worked for the alternative energy program at NAIT and as the chief technical officer for a private overseas geothermal company.

News of MacIntyre’s resignation came just hours after Alberta MLA Derek Fildebrandt was officially kicked out of the UCP caucus. The move came after he pleaded guilty to a charge related to an illegal deer hunt late last year.

READ MORE: Alberta MLA Derek Fildebrandt can’t rejoin UCP caucus after pleading guilty to illegal deer hunt

“As elected representatives, we must be expected to show the highest level of integrity,” UCP leader Jason Kenney said in a statement about Fildebrandt’s departure. “MLA Derek Fildebrandt has unfortunately demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that does not meet that standard.”

-With a file from The Canadian Press