A southern Alberta town councillor has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for Wildrose caucus staffers who reportedly lost their jobs when nine MLAs crossed the floor this week.
Drumheller Coun. Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk, who bowed out of running for the Wildrose in Drumheller-Stettler earlier this year, has started a .
Although Hansen-Zacharuk only launched the campaign on Thursday evening, more than $9,500 had been raised by early Friday afternoon Alberta time. The campaign鈥檚 fundraising goal is $15,000.
In a brief statement on the campaign鈥檚 site, Hansen-Zacharuk says she is raising funds 鈥渢o help ease the sudden unemployment鈥� of Wildrose staffers just before Christmas.
Four of the affected staffers are soon-to-be parents, she said.
Hansen-Zacharuk also did not immediately respond to a request for comment about her campaign.
On Wednesday, the nine Wildrose MLAs, including party leader Danielle Smith, surprised Albertans and political watchers across the country when they announced their defections to the PCs.
CTV Calgary鈥檚 Scott McLean confirmed Friday afternoon that two staffers in Smith鈥檚 office were laid off.
Because the Wildrose caucus has shrunk with the defections of the nine MLAs, it gets less funding for staff, McLean reported.
Smith loses the five staff she had as a party leader, and is reduced as a regular MLA to sharing a legislative assistant, he said.
Reports on social media Thursday night suggested that staffers for the floor crossers were being told to pack their things and escorted from their offices.
Wildrose president Jeff Callaway said Friday evening that the party itself has not laid off staff. However, he confirmed in an email to CTVNews.ca that funding for the caucus of the Official Opposition depends on the number of seats it holds.
According to Callaway, the remaining Wildrose caucus members 鈥渨ill be retaining as much of the staff as possible under the funding formula,鈥� however 鈥渁 number鈥� of Wildrose caucus staff will lose their jobs because of the defections.
Caucus staffers fall under standard labour law provisions regarding severance, he said.
On Thursday, Wildrose executive committee members unanimously 鈥渞eaffirmed their commitment to the future of the party,鈥� and providing Alberta voters with 鈥渁n effective opposition.鈥�
In , the executive committee said that an interim leader will be chosen and the party will outline the process for selecting a permanent leader early next year.
The executive committee and caucus have also 鈥渦nanimously rejected鈥� a proposal to formally unite the Wildrose and the PCs, the statement said.
