DIDSBURY - The leader of Alberta's official Opposition party dropped by Didsbury on June 14 for a Unite the Right rally.
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean spoke to about two dozen local residents outside in the Reimer Plaza parking lot.
Jean also answered several questions from local media outlets including the Gazette.
He later went on to tour local businesses in the area.
Jean said that he loved Didsbury and the area and frequently stopped here.
"I'll continue to travel the province as I have for the last two years and I will continue to do so for the next two years," said Jean. "I'll be continuing to do that for the next two years until the election and beyond that. I think it's very important right now to spread the message of unity."
Jean said he's excited about the possibility of having conservatives (Wildrose and PC) come together at the United Conservative Party ratification vote on July 22.
"I'm excited about that vote and the possibility of us consolidating into one movement going forward," he said.
Part of the reason for Jean's tour through the area was to recruit Wildrose members.
"We've seen a lot of people buy memberships," he said. "The cutoff is July 8. If they don't buy a membership by the 8th of July they won't be able to participate in the vote.
"I think most Albertans right now would like to participate in the vote because I do believe the future of the conservative movement in Alberta is going to be the future government.
If we can empower the citizens to get involved and we can move forward under the framework we've negotiated it will give them the greatest degree of control over the process going forward."
Jean said that most of the people he has talked to along the way are very supportive of uniting the two parties.
"Some people still have some questions about it," he said. "That's what I'm trying to do: answer those questions. Sometimes they're tough questions, but the truth is when people have the opportunity to discuss these issues with me they do come around and feel very positive. We've had some that aren't, but 99 per cent are very positive and are going to vote for unity on July 22."
On his tour, Jean has had the chance to speak to different business owners and workers about the economic situation in Alberta.
"They're very concerned about the business climate and the economy generally and some of the regulations that the NDP brought in," he said. "They feel that the carbon tax added a huge burden to them that they'll have to pass on to their customers. But also they want to talk about consolidating conservatism."
Jean said he was impressed by the number and variety of businesses in Didsbury.
"You have some ëcrown jewels' here," he said. "I was really impressed to be honest."
The Wildrose Party has several ideas to help boost the economy such as lowering taxes, said Jean.
"We believe low taxes is the best way to do that so people have more money in their pockets," he said. "When people work hard for their money they should be able to take more home so they can spend it on their priorities."
Jean added that he thinks that issues such as health care and education could be done better.
"We believe that they could be managed better," he said. "For example - education - we need to make sure parents are always in charge of their children's future and their education and also that there is choice in education: a model where people can pick what's best for their children."
Jean said he would like not only to see the right united but all of Alberta.
"I believe it'll do exactly what I want to do and that's to unite Albertans," he said. "I want to certainly unite conservatives, but more than anything I want to unite Albertans after four years of NDP rule. Frankly, with low commodity prices and what our last government did as far as spending goes, I just believe we need to unite Albertans.
"We need to get behind one movement and we need to find a practical, common sense premier and government that will make decisions in the best interest of the people. And I believe that a united conservative party will do that, especially with a grassroots being in charge as they are with our legal framework."
