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My colleagues in the PC caucus have proven themselves to be above the suspicions that I once had of them, and I believe that the Wildrose caucus has done the same for them.

Faced with an ideological socialist government as destructive as the NDP, we should henceforth face them together, not divided.

Members of both parties will vote on July 22 to either accept or reject the creation of the United Conservative Party. The PCs need 50 per cent to ratify the agreement, while the Wildrose needs 75 per cent. This high threshold is meant to ensure that our party is truly united in our intentions in a decision this important.

Already, NDP supporters are buying Wildrose memberships to try and stop the agreement from passing. The NDP know very well that, faced with the combined strength of the Wildrose and PC parties, their chances of re-election have become significantly more remote.

But unification must be about more than just power. As critical as it is to ensure the defeat of the NDP in the next election, a United Conservative government must be prepared to overhaul the status quo.

We must not be afraid of the protests of the special interests — be they big business or big government — that seek to protect privilege. After a decade of deficits, overspending and acceptance of mediocrity in government, there are a host of special interests that transcend whichever party is in power. They are deeply embedded in the budget, the bureaucracy, and in the lobbyist class and will not relinquish their position easily.