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He noted that former Tories, such as Nancy MacBeth and Raj Sherman, went on to lead the Liberals, with little effect on the PCs.

“People will have a couple of clear choices in the next election I predict: one big sensible mainstream free-enterprise party called the United Conservative Party and one big-spending, high-taxing party called the NDP,” said Kenney.

But Clark — who holds his party’s single seat in the legislature — said he doesn’t buy Kenney’s nonchalance.

“There’s no question we’re growing,” he said. “We’re starting to make them worried, with good reason. Albertans are neither far-left, nor far-right.”

Wildrose members will vote at a special meeting in Red Deer on July 22 whether to approve the agreement that would create the UCP, with 75 per cent the threshold for success. Tories will vote between July 20 and 22 whether to ratify the deal, with a simple majority sufficient for it to be approved.

Kenney said he was confident the deal will be approved but warned the crowd of about 300 at the Glenmore Inn there is no “easy fallback” if Tories and Wildrose members reject the plan to unite.

Responding to a question from the crowd, Kenney said that if the deal is defeated there may be possibilities for co-operation, such as each party agreeing not to run against each other, but that his first duty in that case would be strengthening the PCs.

“My main priority would be building up the PC party. I think people should understand there is no easy Plan B here. There is a hard choice here — unite or not,” he told reporters.

Both Kenney and Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt, who also spoke at the unity town hall, reiterated the claim that allies of the NDP within the labour movement were attempting to “hijack” the unity vote by joining Wildrose and casting their ballot against the deal.

“The degree to which they’re doing it is not measurable, but we know it’s happening to some extent,” said Fildebrandt.

jwood@postmedia.com