By Chris Brown

Former Medicine Hat MLA says he’s lending his vote to NDP this time

May 26, 2023 | 12:37 PM

Count a former Wildrose and Progressive Conservative MLA from Medicine Hat among those who are supporting the Alberta NDP in the provincial election.

Full Election Coverage: Alberta Votes 2023

Blake Pedersen, who represented the old Medicine Hat riding from 2012-15, posted on Twitter yesterday that he would lend his vote to David Shepherd and the NDP.

Pedersen says under Danielle Smith the United Conservative Party has replaced long standing conservative values and principles with extreme ideology and radical policies.

According to Don Braid of the Calgary Herald, Pedersen is the first person elected with Smith to turn against the UCP.

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Pedersen was elected as a Wildrose member in 2012 with Smith and crossed the floor to the PCs with her and seven other Wildrose MLAs in 2014. Pedersen has been out of politics since he and the other floor-crossers were defeated in the 2015 Alberta election.

Other former PC cabinet ministers including Doug Griffiths and Thomas Lukaszuk have also been signalling their intentions to support the NDP on Monday