MLA Heather Forsyth states her reasons after announcing her defection from the Alberta Conservative Party to the Wildrose Alliance in Calgary on Monday. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Residents of MLA Heather Forsyth's Calgary riding have expressed mixed feelings about her jump from the Progressive Conservatives to the Wildrose Alliance, from respect for her choice to outright distrust.

In the shopping centre that is home to Forsyth's constituency office, one businessman hoped to congratulate the MLA.

Rick Barron, who owns a novelty store in the Deer Valley Shopping Centre, said shoppers passing by Forsyth's office were giving staff inside the thumbs-up.

"I went down to her office to see if she was in, but she wasn't yet. I was going to shake her hand," he said.

The longtime Calgary-Fish Creek MLA and relatively new Airdrie-Chestermere MLA Rob Anderson both announced Monday they were crossing the floor to the Wildrose Alliance.

Unhappy with the direction and leadership of the Tories, the two MLAs threw their political fate into the hands of a fledgling party that is doing well in the polls, but has only one sitting MLA and a new leader, Danielle Smith, without a seat in Edmonton's legislature.

In Forsyth's suburban riding in the south of Calgary, resident Ron Hood said he doesn't have a problem with her choice.

"I think we elected her to begin with because we trusted her to make those wise decisions on our part. I respect her more than the party," he said.

But shopper Dina Liebrecht said if Forsyth wanted to change parties, she should resign and run in a byelection under the Wildrose Alliance banner. "I don't like it when they switch. It's like they're changing their religion overnight," she said.

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West of Calgary in Anderson's Airdrie-Chestermere riding, Tory supporter Janice Harrington would also like to see a byelection.

"I certainly feel abandoned. and I think that if this is a decision that he felt very strongly about that he should resign his seat," she said.

"He did not consult with any of us on this issue, to my knowledge, and I've been a member of this constituency association for eight years. I've been a member of the party for 13 years. I worked on his campaign to get him elected as the member and I certainly wasn't consulted."

Both MLAs have said they had no plans to resign their seats.

Politicians usually don't fare too well when they cross the floor, said Lori Williams, an associate professor at Mount Royal University.

"There are exceptions to that, of course, but it's very difficult to maintain your seat under normal circumstances if you move from government to opposition," she said.

"There is so much in flux currently in Alberta, it is very difficult to predict what's going to happen in the next election."

The defections leave the Tories with 68 MLAs in the 83-seat legislature, the Liberals with nine, Wildrose with three and the New Democrats with two.

There is one Independent, former Tory Guy Boutilier, who was kicked out of caucus last year after he criticized funding delays for a long-term care facility in his constituency.