Derek Fildebrandt was keeping quiet a day after being readmitted to the Wildrose caucus, but the president of his local riding association had scathing words Wednesday for how the situation had been handled by the party and leader Brian Jean.
The Strathmore-Brooks MLA was fully reinstated to the Wildrose caucus Tuesday after being suspended last Friday over his apparent endorsement of a homophobic Facebook post — which Fildebrandt had apologized for and said was inadvertent.
Fildebrandt was not back at the legislature Wednesday and declined an interview request.
But Ronda Klemmensen, president of the Strathmore-Brooks Wildrose constituency association, said the original decision to suspend Fildebrandt was “absolutely ridiculous. Derek did nothing seriously wrong.”
“At the very least, this is a massive overreaction or, at worst, a backroom political power play to get rid of Derek,” she read from her own prepared statement.
Asked if she supported Jean’s leadership, Klemmensen responded with “no comment.” She said she did not know whether there would be further repercussions within the party and declined to answer further questions.
File photo of Brian Jean (left) and Derek Filldebrandt (right) in 2015.
Fildebrandt, the Wildrose finance critic, caused an uproar last week with his roasting of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne for her Liberal government’s fiscal and environmental records as she sat in the legislature gallery as a guest.
After Wildrose expressed “regret” over the situation Friday, Fildebrandt received support on Facebook from an individual who derided the openly gay Ontario premier as “Mr. Wynne or whatever the hell she identifies as,” while praising the Wildrose MLA’s tough talk.
Fildebrandt responded to the post by writing, “proud to have constituents like you.”
Fildebrandt apologized on Twitter and said he had not carefully read the comment and had missed the slur of Wynne. But he was suspended late Friday night, with Jean saying Monday that Fildebrandt’s actions were the latest in a “long series of missteps on social media.”
