Wildrose boss Brian Jean on one conservative party in Alberta: “It’s going to happen.”
It is the same place where we spoke a year ago when the man was running to be leader of a party betrayed.
It is a city where the NDP now hold the majority of seats though the governing party and its leader do not show their face around here much.
The man answers a puzzler. It’s one on the lips of many.
Does he believe one small-c conservative party can be in place in time for the next election, three years from now?
“I sure do,” says Wildrose leader Brian Jean.
The coffee shop is going through a renovation. You can see the work being done. It seems an appropriate place to talk about the rebuilding of the political landscape.
“I think a lot of Albertans are anxious because they see what the NDP has done.”
Jean says many people tell him what the NDP is doing is “not Alberta.”
The Wildrose leader says discussions between members of his party and members of the PCs are happening.
As for the Wildrose, Jean thinks 90% of the party faithful are very open to talking.
On the ground, he believes, most PCers are also not resisting a chinwag over the prospect of one united conservative party by 2019.
They’ve got three years. It isn’t much time but, he cautions, they can’t afford to make a mistake on this one.
He does have harsh words for unite-the-right groups pushing one conservative party.
“It’s not helpful. They’re interfering in member business. This is family business,” says the Wildrose leader.
He says the PC family and the Wildrose family should be the ones decided whether or not to become one “family.”
“It’s not up to somebody else who is self-interested and trying to push themselves in front of the parade,” says Jean.
“You can decide the motives for yourself. But I don’t think anybody is going to be fooled by what they are. They want to be back in the limelight. They want to control the purse.”
“This parade is going to be run by the members, controlled by the members and the members are going to decide the ultimate future.”
Jean says he’s already heard from former cabinet ministers and long-time Tory loyalists who figure the PCs are dead, especially and forever in rural Alberta.
But he adds there are some PC bigshots who just won’t give it up.
“Whenever you have a political party that’s been around for a long time usually there are some people who are not prepared to let go of their power.”
“They call it scorched earth. They would rather burn the building down around them, even if they suffer the fate of being crispy fried, than allow anybody to continue on with what they consider to be their privileged right.”
Jean does not believe a brand new party can come along and have the other two parties fold into it.
“I don’t think it’s realistic.”
“You will split the vote. Some of these people saying: We’re going to start a new party so everybody can come together. Are you insane?”
So what’s next?
Does everybody just join the current Wildrose?
“Not necessarily,” says Jean.
He doesn’t ever use the word “merger.” That’s intentional.
Does Wildrose get rebranded as something else?
“That’s up to the members.” It needs 75% approval.
A clue to where this is going.
I’ve heard grassroots Wildrosers ask rank-and-file PCers: What does Wildrose have to look like for you to be comfortable coming on board?
A new name, a tweaking of policy?
Eyes are already on the 2019 ballot battle.
Does the official opposition leader think one conservative party would sound the death knell for the Notley NDP?
“I’m never going to take anything for granted. I’ll work hard but I think the best cure for socialism is socialism.”
A final just-to-be-sure question.
So this uniting business is in the cards, right?
“It’s going to happen,” says Jean, oozing optimism.
The other question, of course, is when.