Last week, I posted about why a Liberal-NDP merger is unlikely to work.

However, after listening to the arguments of many Liberals over the past week, I have come a new conclusion. I now support a merger.

A merger between the Liberal and the Conservative parties.

I know many of you will laugh, but let’s look at this analytically. The main argument being advanced in favour of a Liberal-NDP merger or coalition is that we need to get back into power. Well, a Liberal-Conservative merger is the quickest road back to power. While the math isn’t there for a “Liberal-Democrat” win, even if half of all Liberal voters jumped to the NDP, the Liberal-Conservatives would still win 207 seats.

And that number is likely a conservative estimate (so to speak). After all, the Liberal Party has voted with the Conservatives more often than with the NDP in recent years. Their MPs have been largely interchangeable: Belinda Stronach, Scott Brison and Keith Martin left the Tories for the Liberals; David Emerson, Joe Comuzzi, and Wajid Khan walked the other way. When was the last time a Liberal MP joined the NDP caucus?

And, while there is no history to justify a Liberal-NDP merger, there was once upon a time a Liberal-Conservative Party in Canada, led by John A. MacDonald.

Believe me, I too see how bleak the future looks for the Liberals. After all, we have been out of power for four years, while Harper sits with a towering 34% in the polls. I cannot imagine a more hopeless situation.

A merger is the only way out. And since the only way to power is by merging with the Conservatives, I urge my fellow Liberals to look there, rather than to the NDP. This would not be a coalition of the losers! We would not need Bloc Quebecois support!

We would no longer have to worry about the Tories running negative ads against our leader – as he would be their leader! We would become competitive in Western Canada! We would govern for a century!

My fellow Liberals, I urge you to join me in supporting this exciting proposal.