The question of whether Alberta’s two right-of-centre political parties should merge into one has dominated the final debate among the three candidates for the leadership of the provincial Progressive Conservative party.
Jason Kenney told the debate audience in Medicine Hat on Wednesday night that the Tories and the Wildrose agree on many issues now.
READ MORE: Alberta PC candidate Jason Kenney says ‘it’s been awkward’ to try to unite the right
Watch below: In January 2017, Alberta PC leadership candidate Jason Kenney told Vassy Kapelos some senior members of his party would rather he not be in the race but he is running to unite the conservative base and to stop Rachel Notley from winning a second term.
He says there’s no good reason to risk a second-term NDP government because of vote splitting.
Richard Starke says he’d rather see some form of cooperation between the two parties, while Byron Nelson says now isn’t the right time to be discussing the idea.
READ MORE: Alberta PC leadership candidate Richard Starke wants PCs and Wildrose to work together
Watch below: On Jan. 26, 2017, Alberta PC leadership candidate Richard Starke explained why he’s changing his stance and proposing a sort of coalition to try and defeat the NDP.
Nelson says there’s a “zero chance” of creating a new conservative party before the next election.
The party will choose a new leader on March 18.
Late last month, candidate Stephen Khan pulled out after saying the race had devolved into “vitriol, anger and division,” adding the reputation of the party has been “damaged so badly … that our credibility may be beyond repair.”
READ MORE: Stephen Khan quits Alberta PC leadership race, cites ‘vitriol, anger and division’
Two other leadership candidates, Sandra Jansen and Donna Kennedy-Glans, had previously quit the race, saying progressive voices were being forced out. Jansen, a Calgary MLA, has since joined the caucus of Premier Rachel Notley.
READ MORE: Sandra Jansen withdraws from Alberta PC leadership race citing ‘hostile takeover’
Watch below: In November 2016, Tracy Nagai filed this report as two women running in the PC leadership race in Alberta pulled out.
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean has opened the door to uniting with the Tories, but has said his membership would have to agree. He said if they did, he would step down as Wildrose leader and run for the leadership of the new party in a contest to be held this summer.
READ MORE: Wildrose’s Brian Jean ‘prepared to step down’ and run for a merged Alberta conservative party
Watch below: On Jan. 26, 2017, Brian Jean released a video message saying Albertans have told him to “pursue unity” and announcing he’ll be travelling across the province to ask for feedback on the creation of a single, unified conservative party.
Kenney said if he wins the March 18 Tory leadership, he would seek a mandate to dissolve the party and merge it with a dissolved Wildrose to create a new conservative entity, possibly titled the Conservative Party of Alberta.
The next provincial election will be in the spring of 2019.
-With files from CHAT.