convention; Borotsik resigned as party whip, but remained Agriculture Critic. During this period, Borotsik surprised some political observers by declaring his support for the legalization of same-sex marriage. He also endorsed the principles of public health care and employment insurance, and became associated with the Red Tory wing of his party. MacKay and Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper announced plans to merge their parties in late 2003. Borotsik strongly opposed this decision, and said that he would not be a candidate for the merged party if Stephen Harper was chosen as its leader. He openly considered joining the Liberals once the merger was finalized, and was on hand to provide "moral support" for Progressive Conservative MP Scott Brison when he announced his own defection to the Liberal Party. Borotsik ultimately chose to sit with the merged Conservative Party of Canada until the next election, but made no secret of his opposition to Stephen Harper and the new party's social conservatism. He turned down an offer to become Agriculture Critic, and did not stand in the 2004 campaign. Just before election day, he publicly endorsed the Liberals. Borotsik supported Belinda Stronach's decision to leave the Conservatives for the Liberals in 2005, and indicated that he would consider running for either the Liberal Party of Canada or the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba at some time in the future. Member of the provincial legislature Stuart Murray announced his resignation as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba in 2005. Some considered Borotsik as a possible replacement, but he quickly ruled himself out as a candidate. In June 2006, however, he announced that he would run for the party in the next provincial campaign. He was narrowly elected in the 2007 election, defeating New Democratic Party cabinet minister Scott Smith by 56 votes in Brandon West. Borotsik provoked some controversy when he announced that he favoured an end to Manitoba's tuition freeze; the party's official policy was to keep the freeze in place. The New Democratic Party was re-elected to a third consecutive majority government in the 2007 election, and Borotsik entered the legislature as a member of the Official Opposition. In September 2007, he was appointed to the high-profile position of Finance Critic. Later in the year, he described Manitoba's increasing debt as an economic danger signal. Electoral record Note: Reports in the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper do not indicate if