Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleThe fall sitting of the Prince Edward Island Legislature, which begins Tuesday, could be the most consequential in years for all three major parties, according to an analysis by CBC News.
CBC reports that if this is the last sitting before a provincial election, the pressure is at its peak for both the government and the opposition. An election can be called at any time.
Pressure on the governing PCs
UPEI political scientist Don Desserud told CBC the stakes are very high. In his words, “One slip up is going to be jumped upon by other parties.” He said the Progressive Conservatives will likely see this as their last chance to turn things around and will need a major win.
The government plans to present what CBC describes as perhaps its most significant capital budget yet. Premier Rob Lantz did not say how large it will be. He said the government will not make expenditures it believes it cannot afford. He also argued the budget includes badly needed investments in schools, health-care facilities and other infrastructure, which he called generational investments.
The PCs also plan to bring forward a full suite of bills to dismantle the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. Lantz said the change would create a more efficient, transparent and accountable regulatory structure.
The government enters the sitting after a difficult year, CBC notes:
- In March, MLA Gilles Arsenault was removed from cabinet and the party in connection with an RCMP investigation into a $100,000 donation from a private developer to a community group in his district.
- In April, MLA Sidney MacEwen resigned from cabinet to avoid breaking conflict-of-interest laws over his lobster fishing licence.
- In July, video surfaced of MLA Brendan Curran pocketing a Green Party flyer during the District 16 byelection, which the PCs went on to lose.
- An internal petition to review Lantz’s leadership was reported afterward.
- This month, the RCMP laid 42 charges under the Election Expenses Act against the party’s official agent.
Lantz told CBC that such problems come with being in government. He said the government remains focused on health care, energy and relief from the cost of living.
Opposition parties pitch themselves as an alternative
The Liberals and Greens plan to question the government on leadership, public trust, finances, affordability, health care, housing and land. Each will present itself as the government-in-waiting.
Newly chosen Liberal Leader Dan Kutcher does not hold a seat in the legislature and said he will spend much of the sitting travelling the province to speak with Islanders. He said people tell him the province feels lost and that the government lacks a clear plan. Kutcher said the fiscal situation is becoming dire and accused the government of borrowing against future generations. He also doubts the capital budget signals an early election, saying such a budget should not be used to try to win one.
Green Leader Matt MacFarlane said issues such as health care, affordability and land use have grown more pressing each year. He said the PC Party has been inwardly focused since Dennis King resigned as premier, concentrating on keeping power. He said Islanders have lost trust in the government.
Debt looms over the sitting
CBC says the province’s debt hangs over the session. Finance Minister Jill Burridge has said previously that every province faces fiscal pressure, and that a key question is how the money was spent.
Auditor General Darren Noonan has repeatedly warned about rising deficits. His office projects the province’s debt could reach $6 billion by 2031.
Desserud said Islanders may be closer to knowing what the next government looks like by December, when the fall sitting usually wraps up.
Source: CBC
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