Politics of Prince Edward Island
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Politics of Prince Edward Island | |
---|---|
Polity type | Province within a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Constitution | Constitution of Canada |
Legislative branch | |
Name | General Assembly |
Type | Unicameral |
Meeting place | Province House, Charlottetown |
Presiding officer | Speaker of the Legislative Assembly |
Executive branch | |
Head of State | |
Currently | King Charles III represented by Antoinette Perry, Lieutenant Governor |
Head of Government | |
Currently | Premier Dennis King |
Appointer | Lieutenant Governor |
Cabinet | |
Name | Executive Council |
Leader | Premier (as President of the Executive Council) |
Appointer | Lieutenant Governor |
Headquarters | Charlottetown |
Judicial branch | |
Court of Appeal | |
Chief judge | David H. Jenkins |
Seat | Charlottetown |
The politics of Prince Edward Island are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. The capital of the province of Prince Edward Island is Charlottetown, where the lieutenant governor and the premier reside, and where the provincial legislature and cabinet are located.
Legislature
Prince Edward Island's government is based on the
Political history
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name. The island is part of Mi'kma'ki, the lands of the Mi'kmaq people. Explored by Europeans in the 16th century, the French claimed all of the lands of the Maritimes in 1604 and French colonists arrived in 1720. By conquest, the British claimed all of the lands including Prince Edward Island in 1763. It became the British colony of St. John Island in 1769 and joined the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1873.
Electoral history
The two-party era (1873–1996)
Election date | Win. | Total seats |
Conservative/Progressive Conservative[A]
|
Liberal | NDP[B]
|
Green | Other | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seats | Vote (%) |
Seats | Vote (%) |
Seats | Vote (%) |
Seats | Vote (%) |
Seats | Vote (%) |
Seat-winning party | ||||
1873 | April 1, 1873 | CON | 30 | 15 | [C] | 10 | [C] | 5 | Non-partisan | |||||
1876 | August 10, 1876 | CON | 30 | 15 | [C] | 7 | [C] | 8 | Non-partisan | |||||
1879 | April 2, 1879 | CON | 30 | 24 | [C] | 6 | [C] | |||||||
1882 | May 8, 1882 | CON | 30 | 21 | [C] | 9 | [C] | |||||||
1886 | June 30, 1886 | CON | 30 | 18 | [C] | 12 | [C] | |||||||
1890 | January 30, 1890 | CON | 30 | 15[D] | [C] | 15[D] | [C] | |||||||
1893 | December 13, 1893 | LIB | 30 | 7 | [C] | 23 | [C] | |||||||
1897 | July 28, 1897 | LIB | 30 | 11 | [C] | 19 | [C] | |||||||
1900 | December 12, 1900 | LIB | 30 | 9 | 46.5 | 21 | 53.5 | |||||||
1904 | December 7, 1904 | LIB | 30 | 8 | 45.9 | 22 | 54.1 | |||||||
1908 | November 18, 1908 | LIB | 30 | 13 | 48.4 | 17 | 51.6 | |||||||
1912 | January 3, 1912 | CON | 30 | 28 | 60.3 | 2 | 39.7 | |||||||
1915 | September 16, 1915 | CON | 30 | 17 | 50.1 | 13 | 49.9 | |||||||
1919 | July 24, 1919 | LIB | 30 | 6 | 46.1 | 24 | 53.9 | |||||||
1923 | July 26, 1923 | CON | 30 | 25 | 51.5 | 5 | 43.8 | 4.7[E] | ||||||
1927 | June 25, 1927 | LIB | 30 | 6 | 46.9 | 24 | 53.1 | |||||||
1931 | August 6, 1931 | CON | 30 | 18 | 51.7 | 12 | 48.3 | |||||||
1935 | July 23, 1935 | LIB | 30 | – | 42.0 | 30 | 58.0 | |||||||
1939 | May 18, 1939 | LIB | 30 | 4 | 47.0 | 26 | 53.0 | |||||||
1943 | September 15, 1943 | LIB | 30 | 10 | 46.1 | 20 | 51.3 | 2.1 | 0.5 | |||||
1947 | December 11, 1947 | LIB | 30 | 6 | 45.8 | 24 | 49.8 | 4.3 | 0.1 | |||||
1951 | April 26, 1951 | LIB | 30 | 6 | 46.7 | 24 | 51.6 | 1.7 | ||||||
1955 | May 25, 1955 | LIB | 30 | 3 | 45.0 | 27 | 55.0 | |||||||
1959 | September 1, 1959 | PC | 30 | 22 | 50.9 | 8 | 49.1 | |||||||
1962 | December 10, 1962 | PC | 30 | 19 | 50.6 | 11 | 49.4 | |||||||
1966 | May 30, 1966 | LIB | 32 | 15 | 49.5 | 17 | 50.5 | |||||||
1970 | May 11, 1970 | LIB | 32 | 5 | 41.7 | 27 | 58.3 | |||||||
1974 | April 29, 1974 | LIB | 32 | 6 | 40.2 | 26 | 53.9 | 5.9 | ||||||
1978 | April 24, 1978 | LIB | 32 | 15 | 48.2 | 17 | 50.7 | 1.1 | ||||||
1979 | April 23, 1979 | PC | 32 | 21 | 53.2 | 11 | 45.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | |||||
1982 | September 27, 1982 | PC | 32 | 21 | 53.6 | 11 | 45.7 | 0.7 | ||||||
1986 | April 21, 1986 | LIB | 32 | 11 | 45.6 | 21 | 50.4 | 4.0 | ||||||
1989 | May 29, 1989 | LIB | 32 | 2 | 35.8 | 30 | 60.7 | 3.5 | ||||||
1993 | March 29, 1993 | LIB | 32 | 1 | 39.5 | 31 | 55.1 | 5.4 |
The Post-Two party era (1996–present)
Government | PC | Liberal | PC | |||||
Party | 1996 | 2000 | 2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2019 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Progressive Conservative | 18 | 26 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13[F] | 22 |
Liberal | 8 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 6 | 3 |
Green | 1 | 8 | 2 | |||||
New Democratic | 1 | |||||||
Total | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27[F] | 27 |
Notes
- ^ Includes results for Progressive Conservatives from 1942 onwards.
- ^ Includes results for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1943 to 1951.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Vote share not known for the elections in the 19th century.
- ^ a b Tie between Conservatives and Liberals, resulting in the incumbent Conservatives remaining in power until losing a motion of confidence in 1891 after a series of by-election losses and the Liberals taking power for the remainder of the term.
- ^ Includes 3.4% for the Progressive Party / United Farmers.
- ^ a b Extended election for vacant seat held July 15, 2019 due to the death of original Green Party candidate before the election on April 23, 2019.
Political parties
Prince Edward Island used to have the purest two-party system of any level of government in Canada until both 1996 and 2015 elections. Since joining
In the 2019 election, however, the Green Party became the new official opposition party, while the Liberals became the new third party. Thus its two-party system finally ended to become a semi-two-party system.
Political parties are registered in the province, under Section 24 of the Election Act.[1][2]
The Progressive Conservative Party
The Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island, founded in 1873, was a fully incorporated wing of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (and its antecedents) until the federal party was disbanded in 2003. It is not formally a part of the new Conservative Party of Canada, but the two organizations share members, and most senior provincial officials have openly stated support for the federal party. It has governed frequently, most recently from 1996 to 2007. The party is strongly of the Red Tory political tradition. In October 2011, "The Progressive Conservatives boosted their seat count from two to five," out of 27.[3] Due to a floor crossing on October 3, 2013, followed the next day by an expulsion of an MLA, the seat total fell to three. The party won 8 seats in the 2015 election to expand its seats as the official opposition. The party won 12 seats in the 2019 election, to become the first minority government since 1893. It increased its seat count to 13 in an extension election in July 2019, then won a by-election in November 2020, to up their number to 14 seats, thus becoming a majority government.
Green Party
The Green Party of Prince Edward Island was founded in 2005, and ran in the 2007 election for the first time. The party received a larger proportion of the total vote than the NDP during the 2007 provincial election.
In July 2012, the Green Party of PEI leader and co-founder Sharon Labchuk resigned.[4] Darcie Lanthier served as interim leader[5] until November 2012.[6] At the Leadership Convention in Charlottetown, 3 November 2012, the Green Party of Prince Edward Island elected Peter Bevan-Baker as leader. Bevan-Baker was elected to the Legislature in 2015, winning the party's first seat since the party was founded. He was joined in the Legislature by Hannah Bell in a 2017 by–election. In the 2019 election, they surpassed the Liberal Party by both seat size and popular vote to become the province's Official Opposition party, as they gained six more seats from the Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party
The
The New Democratic Party
The
The Island Party
The Island Party of Prince Edward Island formed after the 2007 election. The party officially registered on March 5, 2010,[8] and fielded 11 candidates in the 2011 election under leader Billy Cann.[9] The party was deregistered when it failed to nominate the required 10 candidates for the 2015 election and did not file an information return.[10]
The party re-registered on September 9, 2022.
Political culture
PEI has been called the closest thing to a
Voter turnout on Prince Edward Island is the highest for any jurisdiction in North America above the municipal level.[citation needed] For example, the 2003 election occurred on the day after Hurricane Juan struck, knocking out power to much of the Island and felling trees, but turnout was higher than 80%. Turnout for federal elections tends to be somewhat lower than turnout for provincial elections. Because of the small districts, even a handful of votes can swing a district. In 2003, three MLAs were elected with victory margins of less than 100 votes, and only two with margins of more than 1000 votes.
In 2010, some PEI politicians expressed concerns that eliminating the "long form" census would form a less detailed picture of PEI, and thus hurt the island's population by way of reduced Confederation programs. Politicians expressing worry about these developments included MP Shawn Murphy (Liberal-Charlottetown) and PEI Finance Minister Wes Sheridan (also a Liberal).[14]
Issues
Because of the highly centrist trend that characterizes both major parties, elections are rarely fought on wildly contrasting platforms, and instead on a collection of local issues. Recently, a prominent issue has been the continued operation of the Island's five rural hospitals, which is increasingly questioned by the growing urban population.
Prince Edward Island is dependent on federal equalization payments for much of its budget. The economy is heavily based on agriculture, the fishery, tourism, and bioscience,[15] with no natural resources or heavy industry (although light manufacturing of avionics parts is growing in importance). The provincial government often has a budgetary deficit, given the lack of local revenues and dependency on federal funds. The continued maintenance of traditional industries is often debated, as well as the need to diversify the province's economy.
Overview of federal politics
Under the Canadian Constitution, Prince Edward Island is entitled to four seats in the Senate of Canada, and a corresponding minimum of four seats in the House of Commons of Canada. This results in PEI being considerably overrepresented in the current House, as six of Canada's ten provinces are to varying degrees.
As of April 2019, PEI is regarded as a
In the most recent federal election of 2019, however, the Greens have seen a rise in support, as their Official Opposition status on the provincial level has benefitted it on the federal stage. However, all 4 seats remain in Liberal hands.
See also
- Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward Island
- list)
- Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
- List of Prince Edward Island general elections (post-Confederation)
- Political parties of Prince Edward Island
- Government of Prince Edward Island
- Executive Council of Prince Edward Island
- Council of the Federation
- Politics of Canada
- Political culture of Canada
References
- ^ Registered Political Parties at Elections PEI. Accessed July 23, 2012.
- ^ PEI Election Law at Elections PEI. Accessed July 23, 2012.
- ^ a b Moore, Oliver (October 3, 2011). "Election Day: Ghiz's Liberals secure second straight majority in PEI". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ Wright, Teresa (12 July 2012). "Labchuk steps down as Green Party leader". The Guardian. Charlottetown. Archived from the original on 2012-12-04. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Press Release:Green Party Leader Sharon Labchuk Steps Down". July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ Wright, Teresa (17 July 2012). "Green Party of P.E.I. appoints interim leader". The Guardian. Charlottetown. Archived from the original on 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
- ^ "CBC.ca – Prince Edward Island Votes 2007". CBC News.
- ^ "History of Elections on PEI". Elections Prince Edward Island. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Leader Billy Cann on the Island Party". CBC News. September 26, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ McLeod, Gary (October 7, 2015). 2015 Report from the Chief Electoral Officer of Prince Edward Island (PDF) (Report). Elections Prince Edward Island. p. 7. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Neatby, Stu (September 9, 2022). "P.E.I.'s Island Party to be on the ballot in next provincial election". Saltwire. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Jenkins, Alison (April 4, 2023). "P.E.I.'s Island Party claims sliver of popular vote in first showing since 2011". Saltwire. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Driscoll, Fred (Summer 1988). "History and Politics of Prince Edward Island". Canadian Parliamentary Review. 11 (2): 2–14.
- ^ "Census changes worry some P.E.I. politicians". CBC News. July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ Prince Edward Island Government, Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture (March 2, 2023). "Industries in PEI". www.princeedwardisland.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
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External links
General information
- Political History on the Government of Prince Edward Island website
- Women in Prince Edward Island Politics on the Government of Prince Edward Island website
- Prince Edward Island History and Politics at InfoPlease.com
- List of Political Science courses at the University of Prince Edward Island website, including PoliSci 202: Politics and Government of Prince Edward Island
- Prince Edward Island Joins Confederation 1873 at A Country by Consent, by the Canada History Project
- PEIBlogs.com -- "the definitive Prince Edward Island blogroll since 2004"
Political parties
Other sources
- Francis William Pius Bolger, Prince Edward Island and Confederation: 1863-1873, CCHA, Report, 28 (1961), 25–30.