2015 Prince Edward Island general election

Canadian provincial election

The 2015 Prince Edward Island general election was held May 4, 2015, to elect members of the 65th General Assembly of Prince Edward Island.^[2] Under amendments passed by the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island in 2008, Prince Edward Island elections are usually held on the first Monday of October in the fourth calendar year, unless it is dissolved earlier by the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island due to a motion of no confidence, or at the request of the premier. The current government had hinted that an election would be held "before Mother's Day" 2015, and such a dissolution would avoid any conflicts with the next federal election, expected to be held in October 2015.

The governing Liberals were elected to a third consecutive majority government under Premier Wade MacLauchlan, while the Progressive Conservatives made slight gains despite party leader Rob Lantz failing to win election in Charlottetown-Brighton. The Green Party, meanwhile, won its first seat in the legislature, with leader Peter Bevan-Baker elected in Kellys Cross-Cumberland.^[3] The New Democratic Party was shut out.

Results

Results of the election by polling division

Synopsis of results

1. "Section 4 - Summary of Election Results". Report of the Chief Electoral Officer for the Provincial General Election - May 4, 2015 (PDF). Elections Prince Edward Island. 2015. pp. 37, 40–93. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
2. including spoilt ballots
3. minor political parties receiving less than 1% of the national popular vote are aggregated under "Other"; independent candidates are aggregated separately
4. also an open seat

  = results as certified in a judicial recount

  = open seat

  = turnout is above provincial average

  = incumbent re-elected in same riding

  = incumbent changed allegiance

  = other incumbent renominated

  = tied for first place - settled by coin toss

Results by region

Timeline

2011

• October 3: The Prince Edward Island Liberal Party under Robert Ghiz is re-elected with a majority government in the 64th Prince Edward Island general election.

2012

• October 13: The New Democratic Party elects Michael Redmond as party leader.^[4]
• November 3: The Green Party elects Peter Bevan-Baker as party leader^[5]
• December 5: Progressive Conservative leader Olive Crane announces her intention to resign as party leader in January 2013 after party members narrowly vote against having a leadership review. Crane further announces that she will stay on as Leader of the Opposition.^[6]

2013

• January 30: Olive Crane resigns as Leader of the Opposition. The Progressive Conservative caucus names Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry, a candidate for the interim leadership, as Leader of the Opposition.^[7][8]
• January 31: Olive Crane resigns as Progressive Conservative leader. Georgetown-St. Peters MLA Steven Myers is elected interim PC leader over Leader of the Opposition and Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry. Perry initially announces that he will remain Leader of the Opposition, despite Myers' urging that the party leader should hold both positions.^[9]
• February 11: Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry steps down as Leader of the Opposition, citing internal divisions within the Progressive Conservative Party.^[10] Interim PC leader and Georgetown-St. Peters MLA Steven Myers is subsequently named Leader of the Opposition.
• October 3: In what is believed to be the first instance of a sitting MLA crossing the floor, Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry leaves the Progressive Conservatives to join the Liberals, citing his concerns with the federal Conservative governments changes to employment insurance.^[11]
• October 4: Morell-Mermaid MLA and former Progressive Conservative leader Olive Crane is kicked out of the party. Crane subsequently announces she will sit as an independent.^[12]

2014

• November 13: Robert Ghiz announces he will be resigning as Premier in early 2015 as soon as the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party elects a new leader.^[13]

2015

• February 21: The Prince Edward Island Liberal Party held its leadership election. As the sole candidate nominated, Wade MacLauchlan was acclaimed the new leader and incoming premier.^[14]
• February 23: Robert Ghiz resigns as Premier. Wade MacLauchlan is appointed and sworn in as the new Premier.^[15] Later that day, Ghiz, Wes Sheridan, and Robert Vessey resign as MLAs, triggering potential by-elections in their former seats (Charlottetown-Brighton, Kensington-Malpeque, and York-Oyster Bed, respectively).^[16]
• February 28: At the party's leadership election, Rob Lantz is elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island.^[17]
• April 6: After being nominated as the Liberal candidate for York-Oyster Bed, Premier Wade MacLauchlan dropped the writ, calling for an election on May 4, 2015.
• April 10: The Island Party drops out of the campaign, due to not having enough candidates ^[18]
• April 27: Party leaders' first televised debate, held in Summerside.^[19]
• April 30: A second televised debate was held for the party leaders, in Charlottetown.^[20]
• May 4: Election results - The Liberals win a third consecutive majority government, with a reduced number of 18 seats. The Progressive Conservatives remain as the official opposition, with an increase to 8 seats. The Greens make Prince Edward Island political history, winning their first seat.

Opinion polls

Voting intentions since the 2011 election.

Results

• Candidates' names appear as recorded by Elections PEI
• Party leaders' names are in bold; cabinet ministers' names are in italics.

Cardigan

• This riding vote count resulted in a tie between McIsaac and McInnis. As a result, a coin toss was held, which determined McIsaac, the Liberal candidate, as the winner.^[21]

Malpeque

Charlottetown

Egmont

References

1. "Saltwire | Prince Edward Island". Archived from the original on September 17, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
2. "PEI election called for May 4, 2015". Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
3. "Liberals win majority in P.E.I. election". CBC News. May 4, 2015. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
4. "P.E.I. NDP elect Mike Redmond as party leader" Archived 2013-01-01 at the Wayback Machine. CBC News, October 13, 2012.
5. "Bevan-Baker acclaimed as P.E.I. Green Party leader". The Guardian. Charlottetown. November 3, 2012. Archived from the original on August 19, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
6. "P.E.I. PC Leader Olive Crane resigns". CBC News. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
7. "Olive Crane resigns as P.E.I. Opposition leader". CBC News. January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
8. "Tories name new P.E.I. Opposition leader". CBC News. January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
9. "MLA Steven Myers named interim PC leader". CBC News. January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
10. "Perry to step down as Opposition leader". CBC News. February 11, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
11. Wright, Teresa (October 3, 2013). "Hal Perry crossing floor to join Liberals". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
12. "Olive Crane kicked out of PC caucus". The Journal Pioneer. October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
13. "P.E.I.-Liberals-and-PCs-both-looking-for-leaders". Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
14. "Wade MacLauchlan confirmed as P.E.I. Liberal leader". Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
15. "Experienced faces make up Wade MacLauchlan cabinet". CBC News. February 23, 2015. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
16. "Legislative Assembly of PEI: Members". Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
17. "Rob Lantz celebrates Progressive Conservative leadership victory". Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
18. "Island Party sitting out election". Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
19. "PEI Votes 2015: Leaders' Debate". Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
20. "Leaders met in 2nd TV debate". Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
21. Liberal Alan McIsaac wins seat in coin toss after recount tie Archived 2015-05-22 at the Wayback Machine. CBC News, May 19, 2015.

Further reading

• Desserud, Don; Collins, Jeff (2016). "The 2015 Provincial Election in Prince Edward Island". Canadian Political Science Review. 10 (1): 31–57. doi:10.24124/c677/20161391. ISSN 1911-4125. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

External links

• P.E.I. Votes 2015: Tracking the candidates