 On December 17, 2014, Smith confirmed she and eight other Wildrose members — Rob Anderson, Gary Bikman, Rod Fox, Jason Hale, Bruce McAllister, Blake Pedersen, Bruce Rowe and Jeff Wilson — would cross the floor to the Progressive Conservative caucus, with Smith saying "Under Premier Prentice ’ s strong leadership, I believe we can work together to lead Alberta with a renewed focus on the values and principles that we share." The action followed several days of rumours and a PC caucus meeting in which that party agreed to accept the Wildrose members on terms which have not been officially disclosed. This leaves five MLAs still affiliated with the Wildrose Party. In a letter to the party executive, Smith asked that all party members vote on a "reunification resolution" to merge the Wildrose and PC parties; a request which the party executive rejected. This development angered many party members and provoked widespread controversy. Wildrose has stated that "At no time has the Wildrose Party been approached by any representative of the PCAA regarding a merger, combination, partnership or alliance. Yesterday ’ s events are confined to nine former Wildrose MLAs who opted to cross the floor without consulting the Wildrose Party."
