WATCH ABOVE: Global News has confirmed through multiple sources that there have been talks between the Wildrose and PC parties, which could see some – if not all – Wildrose officials cross the floor. Eric Szeto has more.
EDMONTON – Alberta’s opposition Wildrose caucus is expected to meet Tuesday to discuss merging with Premier Jim Prentice’s Progressive Conservatives, according to sources.
“You may see the entire Wildrose caucus cross the floor,” former Wildrose MLA Joe Anglin told Global News. Anglin now sits as an independent for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre and believes the negotiations have been going on for the past week.
If merger talks fail, there may be four or more defections to the Tory team, said one source.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith and house leader Rob Anderson could not be reached for comment late Monday. Earlier Monday, Prentice was asked by reporters if he knew of any impending Wildrose floor crossings.
“There are always discussions amongst people that I’m not a part of,” he replied. “As I’ve said in the past, I welcome all conservatives as part of this government.”
In an article published late Monday night, Edmonton Sun reporter Rick Bell references a document from a Wildrose source called a Reunification Agreement which appears to outline the proposed “reunion” process between the Wildrose and the PCs. (You can read the reunification document below).
When asked for comment on a potential merger Tuesday morning at a breakfast event, Prentice continued to walk by reporters while saying, “we will see what happens after caucus meeting tomorrow.”
READ MORE: Alberta PC caucus has final say over any Wildrose bid to join: Prentice
Watch above: Premier Jim Prentice is asked about a possible merger at a breakfast event Tuesday morning.
The Wildrose saw two MLAs quit to join Prentice three weeks ago.
READ MORE: Wildrose leader says there will be no more floor crossers
Kerry Towle, the MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, and Ian Donovan, the member for Little Bow, said they had grown disillusioned with the Wildrose and liked the direction of the province under Prentice.
Anglin quit in early November ahead of a caucus vote to oust him for, among other things, secretly taping caucus meetings. Anglin has denied this and Smith has never provided evidence.
The three departures left the Wildrose with 14 members compared with 63 for the Tories.
The party is rural based, particularly in the south, with just two MLAs in Calgary and none in Edmonton.
“These members were elected by constituencies in certain parts of Alberta in which there has been no abundance of love for the current government,” said Jim Lightbody, a political scientist at the University of Alberta.
“I think they overestimate how important they are to their consituents…there will be blow-back, there will be resentment.”
Watch above: Residents from High River comment on the possibility of a merger between the Wildrose and the PCs.
“With no prospect of winning power, it becomes very fragile and it’s not unusual to have members resign, retire or join the government’s side,” Lightbody said.
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A merger could mean the beginning of the end for the Wildrose, a right-centre party that gained strength and popularity against the centrist former Tory premier Alison Redford but has been struggling to find its identity against the like-minded Prentice.
The Wildrose has met hard times after it lost four byelections to Prentice on Oct. 27.
The party has been dropping in popular opinion polls and Smith has criticized the mainstream media for fostering a narrative of the Wildrose as an angry and divisive party.
Last month, the party was sharply criticized for refusing to adopt into policy a resolution it passed last year to pledge its support for equal rights for all minority groups, including gays.
The policy refusal reignited accusations from the 2012 election campaign that the party was intolerant and anti-gay.
READ MORE: Wildrose vice-president quits over party’s refusal to endorse equal rights policy
Social media pundits speculated late into the night Monday on possible Wildrose defections.
One Wildrose member, Drew Barnes of Cypress-Medicine Hat, didn’t address the controversy but tweeted:
On Tuesday morning, Barnes said he doesn’t think the merger is going to happen. He added that he is not taking part in the vote, and has been opposed to the idea since finding out on Saturday. Barnes said he’s been talking to all the other Wildrose MLAs, but doesn’t know what they plan to do. He said he has no knowledge of the “Reunification” document.
“Going forward, I think the best thing for Alberta, and the best thing for Cypress-Medicine Hat, is to stay true to the Wildrose policies and platform,” he said Tuesday.
“If I stay true to the fact that Alberta needs good opposition, and we have provided excellent opposition, that would be the best thing going forward.”
One of the rumoured floor crossers, Shayne Saskiw, delivered the following message on Facebook: “I am committed to fighting for the constituents of Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills and to advocate for our priorities and for the needs of our communities. There is a rumour that I will be crossing the floor tomorrow. That rumour is false.
“I will continue to represent my constituents and to stand up for the principles and values on which I was elected.”
He tweeted a similar sentiment, but could not be reached for comment:
Duane Bratt, a political analyst at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said he found the rumours of a merge “really bizarre.”
“They took down two premiers,” he said of the Wildrose. “They’ve been the most powerful opposition we’ve ever seen in this province. Many of the policies that Prentice brought in, he simply adopted what Wildrose has been saying. But given the fiscal downturn in this province, I would think that would help the Wildrose party, because they’re strongest on fiscal issues. I think this would have given them a lifeline after a really disastrous fall.”
Bratt was asked if the rumours were true, what would be the party’s motivation for a merger?
“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? I’ve said all along that it was tough for Wildrose to criticize Jim Prentice because it wouldn’t take too much of your imagination to imagine him leading the Wildrose party. He’s a man who could fit in either camp.
“I don’t know what’s driving this, whether it’s that just ‘we lost so badly’ and an outreach offer from Jim Prentice, if it’s true he’s provided a letter of offer for them to come over.”
But he said if a merger were to take place, it might not mean the political end for some members of the Wildrose, including Smith.
READ MORE: Danielle Smith to quit if Wildrose loses in 2016
“You put party allegiances to the side, and if you’re putting forward a cabinet of talented people, there’s still some talented people on the Wildrose side. Is it a unity cabinet?”
Bratt said in one way, a merger would be a sad day for democracy.
“You can say what you want about Wildrose, they have been a very effective opposition party,” he said.
“We’ve actually had a competitive political situation in this province for several years. If that merger occurs, you’re not going to see that sort of thing happen anymore.”
With files from Global News
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