Wildrose Alliance Leader Danielle Smith speaks to reporters in Edmonton on Tuesday, with MLAs Paul Hinman and Heather Forsyth at her side. (CBC)The loss of two Alberta Conservative MLAs to the Wildrose Alliance was disappointing but will not keep the governing party from its goal of leading Alberta and Canada out of a recession, Premier Ed Stelmach said Tuesday in a written statement sent to supporters.

"During difficult economic times, it is important to stick together and help each other out," Stelmach said. "It is the Alberta way. We did it during the Depression in the 1930s and we did it during the dark of the National Energy Program."

The statement marks Stelmach's first public comments since legislature members Heather Forsyth and Rob Anderson announced Monday that they were leaving the Progressive Conservatives to join the surging Wildrose Alliance.

The switch gives Wildrose three seats in the legislature, but the right-of-centre party has drawn growing interest in recent months from small-C conservatives disenchanted with Stelmach's leadership.

Forsyth, the member for Calgary-Fish Creek, and Anderson, the member for Airdrie-Chestermere, both cited frustrations with Stelmach's leadership as part of the reason for switching parties.

On Tuesday, Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason called on Forsyth and Anderson to resign their seats and run as Wildrose Alliance candidates in a byelection.

But Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith rejected that call during a news conference in Edmonton. Instead, she said, the party will introduce a private member's bill in the upcoming session of the legislature that would allow constituents to recall a member if one-third of them agreed to it.

"I think this would allow those MLAs and cabinet ministers who are currently calling for Rob and Heather to step aside to be able to show their own principle," said Smith, who does not have a seat in the legislature. "Are they willing to pass this legislation so they would be subject to the same recall provisions?"

Mason rejected the idea the legislation is needed and called recall an old idea that no one in Alberta cares about.

"If they believe so strongly in recall, they should start with themselves and resign their seats and run in byelections," Mason said.

Smith said Forsyth and Anderson crossed the floor on principle and were not promised anything in return.