Alberta MPP Suspended After Just 17 Days

Deborah Drever is suspended from the NDP caucus just 17 days after the provincial election.

Latest 'homophobic' social media blunder is one too many for Alberta's new government

Pictured is a portion of the Deborah Drever Instagram post objected to by Alberta
premier-designate Rachel Notley. (Instagram)

CBC News 

Deborah Drever, the recently elected Alberta member of the legislature for Calgary-Bow, has been suspended from the NDP caucus after another controversial social media post emerged.


The photo, posted on Instagram, features former premier Jim Prentice and interim Alberta PC leader Ric McIver. Underneath the image, a user with the name drevfever posted the comment "Gay boyz."

Deborah Drever is featured being sexually assaulted on the album cover of the metal band Gatekrashor. (Gatekrashör/Facebook) Sorry. I cannot lower myself enough to post this picture.

"I apologize to all Albertans for the homophobic statements contained in this image, which are completely contrary to the views of our party and our future government," said premier-designate Rachel Notley in a statement.

Drever's troubles started almost immediately after winning her northwest Calgary seat in the May 5 election, when photos emerged of her posing next to a T-shirt emblazoned with marijuana leaves, and another from her Facebook account of someone giving the finger to the Canadian flag.

Soon after, a heavy metal album cover emerged featuring Drever posing as a victim of a sexual assault.

"I hope Ms. Drever will take to heart our conversation earlier this week about her responsibility to speak out clearly on issues of violence against women, and homophobia," said Notley in her announcement of Drever's suspension.

"If she does so as part of her duties to her constituents, I'll review this matter in the coming year and consider whether she has a future in our caucus."

Alberta politics is amazing

For you non-Canadians, the NDP - New Democratic Party is Canada's left wing party in both federal and provincial politics. This is the first time the NDP have ever been elected, or have even elected more than a few MPPs in Alberta, which has had a Conservative government for 40 years. 

Another small-c conservative government was waiting in the wings to take over, but the charismatic leader of The Wild Rose party, Danielle Smith, abandoned her party with a few friends and crossed the floor to the Conservatives just a few months before the election. Had she not displayed that spectacular error in judgment, she would be the Premier designate today. She is now completely out of politics having lost her own seat.

Drever has, in just over two weeks, managed to make Danielle Smith look good. Her judgment is way beyond questionable, it is non-existent. If she had any real decency, she would resign and crawl into a hole somewhere. But, if she had any real decency, she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

I have little hope for an NDP government to lead Alberta effectively without destroying its character. But Rachel Notley has a good pedigree and presents herself very well. Her suspension of Drever is quite encouraging and gives me some glimmer of hope for the future of Canada's richest province.

Drever will sit in the legislature as an Independent.