EDMONTON: On the heels of a historic unity vote for conservatives in Alberta, members of the legacy Wildrose and Progressive Conservative caucuses held their first joint meeting as united Conservatives and elected the new party’s interim leader, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper.

The vote showed a united caucus ready to fight for hard-working, everyday Albertans, interim United Conservative Party Leader Nathan Cooper said on Monday.

He noted: “Last weekend, we saw an outstanding victory for the democratic process and the people of Alberta. With members of both legacy parties voting 95 per cent in favour of unity, we now begin the process of party building.
“Members have driven this process from the very beginning and we thank them for the outpouring of support. They will continue to be pivotal to our future success.
“It’s important to remember that our legislative work is of the utmost importance, even as the leadership race begins.

“We’ll be holding the NDP government to account. As the NDP continues to fail working Alberta families by imposing risky, ideological policies that cause job losses across the province, our caucus is united in its goal of advocating for strong, common sense solutions that create jobs for Albertans.

“I want to thank the united caucus for putting their confidence in me as their interim leader, it is truly a great honour. Conservatives are now united for the greater good of Albertans, and we will put their concerns at the forefront of our legislative efforts each and every day. This is a new day for our province.”

A link to the audio of the scrum can be found here.