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EDMONTON — Alberta’s conservative political parties, two stubborn rams of provincial politics for almost a decade now, appear poised to lock horns once again in 2017.

An entirely new entity may emerge once the dust settles.

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Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives, who will pick a new leader March 18, are roiled in debate in over whether they should try to merge with the Wildrose party.

The Wildrosers, in turn, have exposed faultlines of their own over whether to join forces with their former blood enemy or continue to capitalize on their Lazarus-like return to political relevance.

“I believe that if we continue on the path that we are as Wildrose that we’re going to be stronger and more ready to battle the NDP than ever before,” Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said in a year-end interview.

“We have seen a record number of sales of memberships and record number of people coming out to our rallies and our discussions over the past six months. They’ve seen us rise from the ashes like a phoenix and come back and be reborn into a much better party, a party that truly reflects Albertans.”