Liberals win second straight majority on P.E.I.

The Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island has won its second straight majority government. Premier Robert Ghiz, 37, and his Liberals won 22 seats, while the Progressive Conservatives took the remaining five in Monday’s provincial election. At the start of the campaign, there was speculation that the Liberals would win all 27 seats in the provincial legislature. That feat, however, proved to be elusive, as PC leader Olive Crane jumped on the offensive when a scandal involving a provincial immigration program resurfaced mid-campaign. Three government bureaucrats came forward claiming senior officials had accepted bribes and funneled investor money to projects with Liberal ties from prospective immigrants. Federal Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney referred the file to the RCMP for investigation. Before the election, Ghiz’s Liberals had 24 seats, while the PCs had two. Islanders haven’t pushed out an incumbent after just one term since 1935, and Ghiz’s win extends the political dynasty of his family in P.E.I.—his father, Joe Ghiz, was premier from 1986 to 1993.

CBC News