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“United Liberty” is the name Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt has given to a new group with the stated purpose of supporting the unification of the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties.

Fildebrandt made the announcement Thursday at a town hall meeting in Strathmore discussing the proposed Wildrose-PC merger that would lead to the United Conservative Party.

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“First things first, we need to get a ‘yes’ to unity from grassroots Wildrose and PC members,” Fildebrandt said in a statement on his website. “We should not unify for the sake of power, but for the sake of our principles and our values, and for the future of Alberta. A new, United Conservative Party should be bold and forward-looking, proud of what it stands for, and not afraid of what the politically correct defenders of the NDP think.”

The statement said Fildebrandt will be releasing policies he wants to put forward to the membership and said the new party should “embrace 21st century conservatism.”

The statement follows an interview Monday where Fildebrandt said he is assembling a campaign team and would run a libertarian-style campaign. He stated he has not made a final decision on whether he will run for the united party’s leadership.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and PC Leader Jason Kenney announced their support for a merger at a joint news conference last month.

The membership of the parties is scheduled to vote on the merger July 22. The PC party requires 50 per cent of its members to vote in favour and the Wildrose requires 75 per cent of its members to support it.