EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith said the UCP's fighting to preserve Northern Alberta's representation in the Alberta Legislature helped MLA Scott Sinclair realize they support him and his constituents, and it was time to rejoin the UCP caucus."I think he saw that there was nothing personal against him, that we really do genuinely want to make sure that there's adequate representation, especially in those large geographic regions, and that began the conversation," said Smith during a press conference on Monday. .Sinclair was elected as the MLA for Lesser Slave Lake in 2023 under the UCP banner, but was ejected from the caucus in May 2025 after expressing frustration with Budget 2025 and the belief that it unfairly diverted money from Northern Alberta to projects in Calgary and Edmonton. "He's a very strong advocate for his riding, and he should be; that's what MLAs are elected to do," Smith said. "I think as a new MLA, maybe he had some frustration about some of the timelines, about some key projects in his riding." "We tried to do our best to let him know all of the projects that we were balancing, and I think he had some frustration that, unfortunately, caused the outcome of him sitting outside as an independent.".Sinclair and the UCP disagreed on several issues while he was outside the caucus, but they also found common ground. The Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission's interim report proposes dissolving the underpopulated Sinclair's Lesser Slave Lake district to add more representation to densely populated areas in Calgary and Edmonton. UCP MLAs joined Sinclair and his constituents in successfully pushing for the commission to rethink their decision and preserve the Lesser Slave Lake riding in their final maps. Smith believes that joint advocacy played a significant role in Sinclair's decision to return to the UCP caucus on Thursday. "That began the conversation," Smith said. "And then he just went through, one by one, talking with the MLAs to share his perspective, share why things kind of went off the rails, and giving a genuine commitment to work with us on the team." Sinclair said his passion and emotions led him to leave the caucus in 2025, but time and reflection have helped him realize there were better ways for him to handle his displeasure with the budget and other government decisions. "I’ve always stood up for my constituents, and that’ll never change," wrote Sinclair in an X post on Thursday. "But I’ve learned that how I raise concerns matters and that I’m best able to serve the people I represent when I work as part of a strong team.".Smith claims the process has taught the first-time MLA some things about working in government. "I think one of the realizations he came to is we're never going to agree on 100% of things, but there's different ways to be able to get what you want in a government caucus," Smith said. "You argue things out internally, and you work with ministers, and then you advance the interests of your constituents that way." Despite their disagreements during Sinclair's time away from the UCP, both sides are happy to reunite and get to work advocating for all Albertans. "I’m grateful for the opportunity to move forward, and I’m glad to be welcomed back in the United Conservative Caucus, where I belong, working alongside colleagues to deliver for the great people of Lesser Slave Lake and for all Albertans," Sinclair wrote in his X post.
