Alex Kindy

Alex Kindy, a Progressive Conservative MP for Calgary East since 1968, was suspended from the Conservative caucus on April 11, 1990, alongside David Kilgour, for voting against the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Kindy was a staunch fiscal conservative who viewed the new consumption tax as a betrayal of Conservative principles and a burden on ordinary Canadians. He and Kilgour became the most prominent Conservative rebels against the GST, which was one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in Canadian history. While Kilgour eventually joined the Liberals, Kindy continued to sit as an Independent.

Kindy formally became an Independent in May 1993, having continued to sit as a PC despite his caucus suspension. He did not seek re-election in the 1993 election. Kindy had been one of the longest-serving Conservative MPs in Alberta, having represented Calgary East for 25 years. His rebellion over the GST was part of a broader backlash that contributed to the Conservative collapse in 1993, when the party fell from 156 seats to just 2. The GST, ironically, survived and became a permanent feature of Canadian taxation.