Derek Fildebrandt suggests Alberta UCP 'devours its own children' after Kenney dumps him from caucus

An Alberta legislature member who once sat for the United Conservative is not being allowed back in the party.

Derek Fildebrandt was in court in Didsbury, Alta., Friday morning to face charges that he shot and killed a deer on private property without permission from the landowner.

He pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of wildlife and was fined $3,000.

United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney says in a statement that Fildebrandt will not be allowed to return to caucus after demonstrating a "pattern of behaviour" that does not meet the party's standards. Kenney said that Fildebrandt "deliberately misled" him and other senior party officials about the outstanding charge over the deer-killing, when they met with him to discuss his behaviour.

"If a prospective nominee deliberately misleads the Party about outstanding legal or ethical issues in the same way the Mr. Fildebrandt misled us about his outstanding legal charges, they will be disqualified from automatically seeking a nomination," Kenney said in his statement. "We must insist on transparency and honesty to ensure the integrity of our candidate screening process. Consequently, as party leader, I have decided that Mr. Fildebrandt will not be permitted to seek a United Conservative Party nomination."

Fildebrandt, one of the champions of last year's merger of the former Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties, appeared to respond to the news with a blunt statement of his own on social media.

"Revolution devours its own children," he wrote on Twitter.

Revolution devours its own children.

— Derek Fildebrandt (@Dfildebrandt) February 2, 2018

Kenney also says Fildebrandt will not be permitted to run for the party in the next election.

In December, Fildebrandt was found guilty in a hit and run in which he failed to notify the owner that he had damaged her vehicle.

Other controversies involving renting out his taxpayer-subsidized accommodation and double-expensing some meals forced him to quit the UCP caucus last summer and sit as an Independent.