Political scientist feels unite-the-right doable by 2019

LETHBRIDGE – A well-known political scientist believes Alberta’s right-wing parties can get together in time for the next election.

But speaking at SACPA Thursday, May 4 Dr. Duane Bratt of Mount Royal University said the quick timeline is an obstacle to overcome, as well as the race to lead the unified party, legal hurdles in combining their assets, and polls that show the Wildrose party capable of winning a majority election on its own.

“Do I think these obstacles are surmountable? Yes I do,” Bratt said in an interview. “I do that because the grass roots conservatives in both parties want it. The thing that unites them is to remove Rachel Notley from power. Those are still there. Jason Kenney won the leadership easily for the PC Party with a mandate, an explicit mandate, of merger. And there were a lot of Wildrose members who joined the Jason Kenney campaign to do so.

“Brian Jean has acknowledged he would like to see a unified party, albeit on his terms. So I think these challenges can be overcome, but they remain serious.”