United Conservative Party MLAs have voted in favour of allowing Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson into the caucus.
On Wednesday, a news release from the UCP caucus said Johnson addressed the governing party’s MLAs prior to the vote.
The release said she highlighted “the work she has done in her community and the personal growth and understanding she has gained through her engagement with the LGBTQ+ community.”
Johnson has been an independent in the Alberta legislature since she was sworn into office last year.
Premier Danielle Smith refused to let her sit as a UCP MLA after an audio clip surfaced during the election campaign in which Johnson compared transgender students to feces in a batch of cookies.
“That little bit of poop is what wrecks it,” Johnson was heard saying on the tape.
Advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ people have expressed dismay that the UCP caucus was considering welcoming Johnson.
Last month, a video surfaced of Johnson’s Zoom meeting with representatives from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Johnson wouldn’t answer a question about whether she believed trans women were women.
Members of Johnson’s constituency association had asked for her to join the UCP caucus.
Smith is facing a vote on her leadership at the UCP’s annual general meeting on Nov. 2.
More to come.