Alberta unite-the-right group aims to bring Wildrose, PCs together

Alberta's "unite the right" movement is trying to gainmomentum, holding meetings to bring Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose Party members into one camp.

The groupbrainstormed in CochraneMonday night,led by former PC cabinet ministerJonathan Denis. He was joined byformerMLA Bruce McAllister, who crossed the floor from theWildrose to the PCs.Both were defeated in last year'sprovincial election.

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Mike Ellis, PC MLA for Calgary West, was one of the invited guests along with broadcasterDave Rutherford, a spokesperson for apolitical action committeecalled the Alberta Prosperity Fund,.

Rutherford has called on the PCs and Wildrose to field only one candidate in the upcoming Calgary-Greenway byelection, a seat that became vacant after the death of PC MLA Manmeet Bhullar.

Several people in the room said one new conservative option is needed, because neither thePCsnor the Wildroseisconnecting withcurrent conservative values.

"If you don't learn from the mistakes from the past, you're going to repeat them again, and that's what's happening now, with the Wildrose and PCs," saidJoseph Zwiekof Calgary.

"That's all they're doing, they are just going to be fighting for second if they don't unite."

Others, includingCochrane residentDuane Lauritsen, said they would prefer a new option entirely.

"I'm not a political party member of any of them,but I feel fundamentally that we have the opportunity to start some place fresh and some place new," Lauritsen said.

Conservatives need to attract young people

Some of the attendeesalso argued thatif conservatives hope to regain power in Alberta, they'll have to make it easier for young people to feel welcome.

"There are young conservatives who want to be part of the fold, but it's hard for them to push through becauseyou have the old guard keeping them at bay until they become old and grey and then lose touch with their youth," saidZwiek.

"You've got to bring in young people, otherwise there is goingbe no future and that's what the NDP, Liberals and [New] Democrats have been very, very good at for a long time."

Organizer John Williams says he hasheard a lot of people complaining about the current government, so he wanted to do something about it.

"I'm very passionate about Alberta. I don't like the direction it's going in right now,and in order to complain about something I need to offer a solution. And by offering a solution, I need to engage people," Williams said..