Guy Boutilier, right, seen with Premier Ed Stelmach, has been kicked out of the government caucus. (Jason Scott/Canadian Press)Some members of the Conservative party in Fort McMurray want answers from Premier Ed Stelmach about his decision to remove their MLA, Guy Boutilier, from the Conservative party caucus.
The premier dumped Boutilier during a telephone call on Friday because of comments the MLA had made about long-term care in the oilsands city.
On CBC Radio Monday morning, Boutilier said he has asked the premier for a face-to-face meeting to discuss the issue because he fears the premier's decision was made based on misinformation.
"Do the right thing, meet with me and hear all the facts, and then if he wants to make that decision in front of our caucus then I accept that," Boutilier said.
The Tory constitutency association in Fort McMurray held a meeting Sunday, and president Iris Kirschner said Boutilier is encouraging members to stay with the party and resist the temptation to resign.
Why was this decision made?
"Two days ago I would have never imagined that this would have happened, so right now it's very important that we do speak with our premier and get an understanding of where do we go from here, Kirschner said.
"What can we expect in the future, what options are open to us and why was this decision made?" she said.
Many people in Fort McMurray were already disappointed that Boutilier was not re-appointed to cabinet last year when Stelmach shuffled the front benches, she said.
Boutilier was speaking out on behalf of his constituents and should not be fired, she said.
"I would say that right now people are just really disappointed in many of the decisions that have been made in regards to Fort McMurray ... we were at least one of 72 PC MLAs, now we have one independent, Kirschner said.
The association wants to meet with the premier to find out why this happened and whether Stelmach will consider changing his mind.
