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The fund has attracted the attention of some high-profile activists from each party, including former Wildrose leader Heather Forsyth. It was to hold a private information session for donors featuring American anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist on Wednesday night in Calgary.

McNamar said the organization was well on its way to achieving its goal of a $2-million annual budget, which will be spent on areas such as polling, research and advertising.

Alberta has long been a bastion of conservative politics, with Social Credit and the Progressive Conservatives governing the province for decades.

However, the Tory dynasty went down to defeat to the centre-left NDP this spring after a tumultuous period that saw most of the Wildrose caucus defect to the PC government. The Wildrose again formed the official Opposition after the May 5 vote, while the PCs dropped to the third party in the legislature.

McNamar said it is the rise of Rachel Notley’s NDP and its “economic vandalism” that is the catalyst for the unite-the-right movement.

“This vote-splitting cannot stand,” he said.

Forsyth, who became one of the first Wildrose MLAs when she crossed the floor from the PCs in 2010 and later served as interim leader after that party’s defections, said she would attend Wednesday’s event as an observer.

But she said the conversation about uniting the right has to be held.

“(People) want to see the NDP government defeated but aren’t sure if it can be done by either party,” said Forsyth, who retired as the MLA for Calgary-Fish Creek this year.