It was a packed house at the Cochrane Legion last night (July 3).

With attendees spilling out onto the patio, voters were very keen to hear Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and PC Leader Jason Kenney discuss their plans on bringing back the Alberta Advantge.

Blake Richards opened the political speeches by saying attendees were less than thrilled with the current state of Alberta politics. "We are all here tonight because as things stand now, we all think things are not acceptable in our province. It might be because you think our government doesn't support our oil and gas sector, it might be that you're concerned that we've got a government that makes sure the idea of a family farm is something that no longer exists, it might be because we have a government that thinks that harming entrepreneurs who just want to run a small business is okay by minimum wage and things like that, it might that you're watching the struggles that myself and my colleagues in Ottawa are facing and you're thinking we just need a provincial government that will help to stand up against Ottawa .It might be one of those reasons or a whole host of other things, but what we all believe is that what we have now is unacceptable and it needs to change."

Jean and Kenney came together to not only share thoughts on the how they feel the current government is performing but promote their vision on what a United Conservative party could mean for Alberta.

Leader Brian Jean encouraged voters to support the idea of unity in order to achieve results that Albertans want to see."Wildrose needs 75% of our members who agree to unity to have unity. It's a threshold, and it's an important threshold and we are encouraging all of you to buy Wildrose membership because of that threshold." Jean says it's time to park the egos, leave them at the door, and work towards a plan that not only unites conservatives for now but the future. "I believe that this agreement between the Wildrose and the PC Party for conservatism is the best thing we could do for our future. I do believe that we could win the next election but it's not just about the next election, it's got to be about decades of good governance."

Jean went on to say that these are the first steps in taking back control of the province. "We can never lose sight of why this work that Jason and I and all of you are doing tonight is so important. It's for the people of Alberta, it's for our children, our grandchildren, and our future generations. It's to make sure they have the same opportunities we have and that our father's and mother's had. I am absolutely committed to Alberta and I am ready to do whatever it takes to bring back the Alberta that I know, I love, and I grew up in; with your help I have no doubt that we'll be successful."

Kenney encouraged voters to 'get-er-done' by voting in the upcoming referendum on July 22. "It's time for us to put Alberta first, that is what we're trying to do with this agreement. This is a vision that I think will appeal to the vast majority of Albertans, the agreement lays out a process for us to create this united party. As much as possible in this agreement was to put put you in charge, we decided that all the key decisions in the future of this party the specific policies for which it stands, the election of its leader, the candidates that develop its constitution... that these are decisions that need to be made by the grassroot members in the future."

There were questions from the floor regarding how the united party will handle finances between the two parties as well as what happens if unity is not supported by Albertans in the July 22 referendum. While funds to date will each stay with the respective parties and used to defeat the NDP, the process of how this will exactly happen will remain a decision of an interim council that will be in charge of all three parties upon ratification on the 22nd. As far as what happens if ratification is not agreed upon, Kenney shared it will depend on the circumstances. "If one of them votes no by a wide margin it's totally different if one votes no by a tiny margin, so I think we would have to see what the circumstances are. Both Brian and I agree to talk about the situation after that if we can't put this thing together. At the end of the day my overriding goal is to defeat the NDP and get our province back on track. If it's a no vote we'll have to look at if there is any will to find another solution."

In order to vote, you will need to have membership to either party or both to cast your vote. Voting can occur over the phone, online (even if not in Alberta), and in person for the Wildrose in Red Deer; both parties are also looking at establishing local voting facilities at locations around the province to vote online for people not plugged in at home. 

Besides a good citizen turnout a number of MLAs turned up at the Alberta Can't Wait hosted event to show support as well.

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