Ousted MLA will vote on Stelmach's leadership

An Alberta MLA who was kicked out of the Progressive Conservative government caucus says he intends tovote in a leadership reviewat an upcoming party meeting.

Guy Boutilier, MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, was kicked out of the caucus byPremier Ed Stelmach in July after he criticized funding delays for a long-term care facility in his constituency.

Boutilier told CBC News he plans to attend the party'sannual general meeting in Red Deer in November, whereStelmach will face a mandatory secret-ballot review of his leadership.

The vote comes at a time when the Tories face slumping support in public opinion polls and an increasing threat from the emerging right-wing Wildrose Alliance Party and its newly elected leader, Danielle Smith.

Even though he was kicked out of the caucus, Boutilier said his PC riding board picked him to go the party's meeting.

"The PC board in Fort McMurray are 150 per cent behind me and they indicated they would like me to be one of the voting delegates at the convention," he said.

"Since Ed Stelmach kicked me out of the PC caucus, I am still a member of the PC party, and as such I have the opportunity and the constitutional right to be able to express my opinion."

Boutilier won't reveal how he plans to vote on Stelmach's leadership, nor speculate on how Stelmach might do in the leadership review.

"I've sat in cabinet with Ed for eight years and we've sat in the legislature for 12 years, and actually I've found him to be reasonably minded, but I really don't know who this man is right now," he said.