With the leaders of the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives now hard at work promoting the proposed merger of their respective parties under a new United Conservative Party banner, Albertans will likely be hearing a great deal about the project over the coming weeks.
Whether the members of each party will agree to the creation of the wholly new right-wing party remains to be seen.
What is known is that whether the talks succeed or fail, the long-term impact on Alberta's political landscape will certainly be profound.
Since being soundly defeated in the 2015 election by Rachel Notley's NDP, some elements of the Wildrose and PC parties have been pushing hard for a merger.
After several months of consultations and discussions, an agreement in principle for the establishment of the new United Conservative Party was signed by Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and PC Leader Jason Kenney on May 18.
The leaders and their supporters are now pushing for their respective party members to back the proposed merger during a July 22 ratification vote.
“The foundations of this agreement stay true to the promise I made to the Wildrose grassroots members to pursue unity in a way that maintains our principles, and our grassroots way of doing things,” said Jean. “This agreement brings that mission one step closer to reality.”
For his part, Kenney said, “The most important part of the unification process is to remember the principle that this must be about more than seeking power for power's sake and it is the members who will have the final say. Today's announcement is about establishing a strong movement that secures Alberta's future for generations to come.”
If members decide to back the merger, a leadership vote will be held in October, with both Jean and Kenney having already said they would like to lead the new party into the 2019 provincial election against the incumbent NDP.
The proposed merger of Alberta's principal right-wing parties represents a major political undertaking – both for the parties involved and for Alberta in general.
