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Dennis King, PCs get strong majority in Prince Edward Island election

Dennis King and the Progressive Conservatives won a minority government in 2019 in Prince Edward Island. The King Government won by-elections and formed a majority government.

Calling an election 6 months earlier than required proved to be a good call as King has been re-elected as premier with a convincing majority.

The PCs jumped from 15 to 22 seats, taking 6 of the 7 seats from the Green Party, the previous opposition party in the province, and a seat from the Liberals.

King said his party wants a "brighter future" on Prince Edward Island — noting that this begins with addressing health care, housing, climate change, and cost-of-living problems.

Green Party leader Peter Bevan-Baker and Karla Bernard are the only 2 Green Party in the PEI legislature. Bevan-Baker pulled out his district of New Haven-Rocky Point. Sharon Cameron, the Liberal Party leader who didn't have a seat, chose to run in New Haven-Rocky Point and finished 3rd.

The Greens had a 22% vote share while the Liberals had a record-low 17% share of the vote. The Greens finished second in a significant number of districts.

The Greens lost 6 seats and Liberals lost 3 seats last night.

King and the PCs didn't have seats in Charlottetown, the provincial capital and largest city on the island. Now they do.

The Liberals are now the opposition party, yet their leader doesn't have a seat. Cameron said in her speech that she wanted to be a "pain in the ass." We will have to wait and see if she gets an opportunity to be in the assembly in Charlottetown.

The Greens and Liberals were unhappy with the early call, originally scheduled for October. They only had 25 people running in 27 districts but that wasn't as much of an issue as running more against each other than aiming at King.

The NDP got 4% of the vote but didn't win a seat. The Island Party was likely the majority of the Other at 1% of the total vote. The PCs got 56% of the vote.

2023 Prince Edward Island election preview

There were 51 women of the 119 candidates in the 2023 provincial election. Women won 7 seats in the 2023 election, no mathematical change from 2019.

Seats with women flipped from green to blue (PCs). Jenn Redmond (PC) won District 5: Mermaid-Stratford by just 38 votes over Michele Beaton (Greens). Susie Dillon (PC) took over District 11: Charlottetown-Belvedere, which had been held by Hannah Bell (Greens), who did not run. Joanna Morrison (Greens) finished second.

One of the Liberals to retain a seat was Gord McNeilly, who became the first Black MLA in Prince Edward Island in 2019.

Dr. Herb Dickieson ran for the NDP in District 25: O'Leary-Inverness. Dr. Dickieson, a retired physician, was the MLA from 1996-2000 and is the only NDP MLA ever in the assembly in PEI. Dr. Dickieson's primary motivation in running this time was the threat of the closure of Western Hospital. The doctor lost to incumbent Rob Henderson (Liberal).

Bevan-Baker was a dentist before being elected to the assembly as a Green MLA. Maybe this only happens in Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island has a Greens growth spurt with a minority government

2019 Prince Edward Island election preview

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The voter turnout is what will be remembered from the 2023 election and not in a good way. Prince Edward Island had a 68.5% turnout for this election. While most municipalities in North America would love at 68.5% turnout, that is the lowest ever for the province.

The 2019 election saw a 80.5% turnout and that was slightly lower than the last provincial election.

Generally, lower turnout tends to benefit more conservative parties. The Greens had 30.6% in 2019 (25,302 votes) vs. 21.6% (16,134 votes) in 2023. The Liberals had 29.4% in 2019 (24,346 votes) vs. a record low of 17.2% (12,876 votes). 

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2023 Canadian politics preview

With this election win, the Progressive Conservatives have won twice in a row for the first time since they won three times in a row from 1996 to 2003.
To date, the Conservatives have won 19 PEI elections, while the Liberals have won 23.https://t.co/Nm04L4iPRj

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) April 3, 2023

King has talked about collaborating with the other parties during his first term as premier. That was more necessary when he didn't have a majority. Now the PCs have a strong majority and not much progress on problems getting worse, such as the aforementioned health care, housing, climate change, and cost-of-living problems.

There was a political strategy to calling an early election the day after the 2023 Canada Winter Games held on Prince Edward Island. The strategy worked more on the Greens and Liberals than success by the PCs. In 2027, the focus should be on King and the PCs: will they make life better for those on Prince Edward Island. Will the voters respond accordingly?

photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @CraigBaird

2023 Prince Edward Island election preview

For faster service at the polls today, take along your Voter Information Card and one piece of ID (Like your Drivers Licence) #2023provincialelection #peipoli pic.twitter.com/WnbHStw2vs

— Elections PEI (@ElectionsPEI) March 25, 2023

The 2023 Prince Edward Island provincial election might not seem as significant as the Ontario and Quebec elections of 2022 in Canada. Those provincial elections turned out to be little more than coronations for the incumbents.

Prince Edward Island is an anomaly in North American politics in that voter turnout is traditionally quite high. The dynamic of this election may turn on Premier Dennis King (Progressive Conservative) to call an early election, going from the designated election date of October 2 to April 3.

The PCs had 15 seats in the 27-seat assembly, a slight majority government. The party won a minority government with 13 seats in 2019. The Green Party is the official opposition party, remaining at 8 seats, the same number won in the 2019 election. The Liberals have 6 seats, up from 4 seats in the 2019 election.

Peter Bevan-Baker, the first Green elected to the PEI Assembly, is the Green Party leader. Sharon Cameron is the new Liberal Party leader, taking over in November. Both parties are only fielding 25 candidates for the 27 electoral districts.

Both Bevan-Baker (incumbent) and Cameron (challenger) are running in the New Haven-Rocky Point electoral district. That should prove to be an intriguing battle.

Michelle Neill is the New Democratic Party leader. The party has a full slate but hasn't won a seat in the chamber since 1996.

Cecile Sly aka Ahava Kálnássy de Kálnás is the new Island Party leader. The party is running in 11 electoral districts.

Prince Edward Island has a Greens growth spurt with a minority government

2019 Prince Edward Island election preview

Health care, especially health care workers, will be a key topic in the election. Land use is important. The Greens and Liberals will benefit if they can go over the King Government in its handling of post-tropical storm Fiona damage.

The CBC News debate was held last night. A telltale sign of how the election might go was that the Greens and Liberals are fighting each other more than attacking the incumbent government. That reminds us sadly of the 2022 Ontario election.

Advance polling stations are open March 25, March 27, and March 31 for advance voting from 9 am to 7 pm. Those hours also will apply on April 3.

CanadianCrossing.com Prince Edward Island coverage

We get some teasing for our obsession with CBC News. You can find the election coverage online via CBC Prince Edward Island.

CBCT, channel 13 in Charlottetown, is the only TV station licensed to Prince Edward Island. The CTV station in Charlottetown is a satellite of its signal out of Moncton, NB while the Global station in Charlottetown is a satellite signal from its Saint John, NB station.

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2023 Canadian politics preview

We will have results on April 4.

Twitter capture: @ElectionsPEI
photo credit: CBC News Charlottetown

Canadian film review: Pogey Beach

"No, no, no, yes, no." Pogey Beach introduces the non-Atlantic Canada part of the world to the art of collecting employment insurance after doing seasonal work.

The Pogey Beach community of Tracadie, Prince Edward Island gets 2 new residents: Bethany (Celia Owen), a 19-year-old woman and her father Winslow (Dennis Trainor). Winslow bought the local fish plant. They are proud to be from Toronto, which is the last thing people outside of Toronto want to hear. She is instantly identified as a CFA (come from away).

Gary Gallant (Robbie Carruthers) is the king of Pogey Beach, an actual title. Gary has his eyes on Bethany. Lyle MacDonald (Ryan Cameron) is his archrival and desires to be the king of Pogey Beach.

The return of the pogey narc brings the worlds together as those who get caught go to pogey jail aka the fish plant owned by Winslow. The characters act as if those who go to pogey jail are dead when they are just working.

The film drops a number of local references, including Alpine beer and mustard pickles. This is a guide of sorts to the pogey lifestyle.

The film has some continuity issues. The group of women who help guide Bethany in her new life disappear for about an hour in this film. They mostly reflect the men on the beach. Gary and his female cousin have an exchange (not to each other) that if they weren't cousins, they would be into the other one. There is another woman who is anxious to be attached to the man known only as Turkey Tits.

There is excitement in the king contest, like this is a big deal. The film itself loses momentum for the contest.

Jeremy Larter, who also plays the mayor of Pogey Beach, directed the film and co-wrote with Jason Larter, Robbie Moses, and Geoff Read. They know the people and the lifestyle. They are caricatures of sorts but also real people and the team overall strikes a decent balance.

Pogey Beach is an adaptation of their Web series Just Passing Through. This is one of the funniest comedies I have seen in a while. The cars Gary and Lyle drive are worth watching just for them. It's not a great film in the classic sense but it knows what it is and has so much fun along the way. The film reminds me of WolfCop in a way in that you go along for the ride and enjoy the time spent with the film.

Jeremy Larter on Q on his new film Pogey Beach (CBC Radio One)

Canadian film review: WolfCop

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The film premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2018 and won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Feature Film in 2019.

Pogey Beach is available in the United States on Amazon Prime Video.

video credit: YouTube/Jeremy Larter
photos credit: Pogey Beach film

Canada's role in using seaweed to reduce methane in cows

Seaweed, cows, and Prince Edward Island: the idea of cows eating local seaweed and having that seaweed reduce the impact of methane that comes from both ends of cows.

When your humble narrator first heard the story, that story seemed too good to be true. Further digging showed there is great potential in such a simple solution that would make a sizable impact on climate crisis.

We explored this topic for our sibling blog, BalanceofFood.com, in greater detail.

How seaweed can reduce the methane output from cows (BalanceofFood.com)

Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia also gets a mention in the story.

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Your humble narrator has walked on some Prince Edward Island beaches. The seaweed involved came from far western parts of the province, a different area from where my bare feet walked on in the province.

The seaweed is Canadian food in a truest sense. I was thinking of dulse from nearby New Brunswick. Dulse is seaweed that is used in different kinds of food. Dulse is truly a New Brunswick food that I have had and enjoyed. A bit of an acquired taste but worth trying if you are in New Brunswick.

video and photo credit: CBC News

Canadian travel bubbles could boost tourism within Canada

The Maritime provinces as well as Newfoundland and Labrador are looking into a travel bubble. Nunavut and Northwest Territories are planning a travel bubble for themselves.

The idea behind a travel bubble is that Canadians in those areas could cross provincial and territorial borders without the need to quarantine from the pandemic.

I haven't been to a Canadian territory but I have visited the Atlantic provinces in the summertime. I have been in Newfoundland and Labrador in late July, Nova Scotia in August, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in September. So much seafood, driving without obnoxious billboards, a lot of walking, and tons of water.

A lot of Canadians out west haven't been to this area of Canada. Costs are normally prohibitive even before a pandemic: cheaper to fly to Las Vegas to London then to travel to Halifax or St. John's.

A travel bubble, combined with relatively cheaper gas, allows Canadians from that region to enjoy the splendid beauty of the region without as many tourists as normal. The Bay of Fundy, Peggy's Cove, Cape Spear, the red sand PEI beaches, Cape Breton, Hopewell Rocks, and so many more travel destinations./p>

The Atlantic provinces have been doing really well with COVID-19 with Nova Scotia being the slight outlier. This doesn't obscure the fact that people have suffered and died from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Even though the numbers have been good, provincial premiers want to be sure this is done safely.

I loved the Hockey Day in Canada coverage from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories back in February. Having seen the Iqaluit film made me more excited about seeing the Nunavut capital.   

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Like Americans, Canadians are allowed to travel freely within their own country. Provinces have stepped up during the pandemic to limit travel in their provinces. British Columbia provincial parks are closed to non-residents. There has been some animosity against cars with Alberta licence plates in B.C.

Those in the 6 other provinces could discover the travel jewels in their own province. Those in Alberta can drive the Icefield Parkway with fewer tourist cars around. British Columbians can explore the interior and Vancouver Island.

I've been to Regina and had an amazing Saskatoon berry pie. I would love to visit Saskatoon. Winnipeg is truly more fun than you might expect. Ontario and Quebec offer numerous options for those who live there.

Where to visit Canada in 2020

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

We have heard that while land crossings are out for American travelers, some have been able to fly into Canada without issue. They would need to do a 14-day quarantine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slightly loosened the U.S.-Canada border last week allowing some family members to cross into Canada, provided they have no sign they might have COVID-19 and no reason to believe they might have caught it. The 14-day quarantine still applies.

Everything we saw last week said the border closing extension will run until the end of July. That could leave August if you want to be hopeful. Don't make plans until the border opens. Even then, you want to be careful. Masks and social distancing are smart, regardless of whether rules are in place.

We had hoped 2020 would bring more Canadian travel adventures from your humble narrator. There is a lot of pain in not being able to see Canada first hand these days.

photo credit: @VisitNovaScotia

Anne with an E cancellation might be start of fallout with CBC and Netflix

The cancellation of Anne With an E came the day after its run on CBC; the show done after 3 seasons. No one cited poor quality or bad ratings or however Netflix figures this out.

What was left unsaid is that Anne With an E might have been the first casualty of the CBC announcement that the public broadcaster would no longer work with Netflix. "We’re not going to do deals that hurt the long-term viability of our domestic industry," CBC president and CEO Catherine Tait said in October.

Season 3 of Anne With an E debuts on January 3 on Netflix.

Steven Guilbeault is the new Canadian heritage minister

Canadian content notebook: Canada Election 2019

Anne With an E had 7 nominations and 4 wins at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards. The show won for Best Drama Series; Best Actress, Drama Series (Amybeth McNulty); Best Supporting Actress, Drama (Geraldine James); and Best Supporting Actor, Drama (R.H. Thompson). In the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards, Anne With an E had 7 nominations and 2 wins: Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actor, Drama (R.H. Thompson).

These are the level of accolades that should be celebrated in Canadian television.

Beloved fans & friends of #AWAE, I’m sorry for the sad network news today 🧡 I wish it could be different but it cannot. We have reached the end of the red Green Gables road after 3 wonderful seasons. My heart is… https://t.co/IqODF0muzB

— Moira Walley-Beckett (@YoWalleyB) November 25, 2019

The timing of the cancellation was dreadful for the Canadian fans. They watched the finale not realising that was the last episode.

Schitt's Creek, Anne with an E win big at 7th Canadian Screen Awards

Canadian culture notebook: Kim's Convenience and more Canadian content on Netflix

Revisiting the Strange Empire: finding more Canadian TV in the United States

Made Nous and other ways to promote Canadian content

Anne with an E greatly benefited from the CBC/Netflix arrangement. A Canadian story told by Canadians to an international audience that wanted to know more about this story.

Moira Walley-Beckett took the timeless classic and gave a strong, feminist 21st century update. She came back to Canada to give life to Anne and had great success. Amybeth McNulty brought the enthusiasm and vulnerability that makes up Anne. Walley-Beckett added an LGBTQ storyline and the show's first black character in Season 2. Season 3 added an Indigenous element.

CBC and Netflix thanked Walley-Beckett, co-executive producer Miranda de Pencier, and the cast and crew "for their incredible work in sharing Anne's story with a new generation." de Pencier also played Josie Pye in the 1985 Anne of Green Gables series and its sequels.

People outside of Canada got to appreciate The Tragically Hip and the show's theme song Ahead by a Century. They may have also seen Long Time Running, also on Netflix, but the reinforcement of the song in a well-loved drama adds significance.

Anne with an E makes Netflix debut

The Netflix influence didn't get off to a good start. The show started out as Anne in Season 1 on CBC. Netflix changed the name of the show from Anne to Anne with an E. Netflix also dramatically changed Anne's appearance in initial promotion of the show.

Despite the bizarre influence of Netflix, Anne with an E likely would have ended on its own terms, such as what Orphan Black did and Schitt's Creek will do this spring. The surprise is that the show apparently wasn't viable without the Netflix money, yet alternative sources of income weren't established to save the show.

There was the obvious benefit to Prince Edward Island in terms of promotion and tourism that disappears with the end of the show. There was criticism that the show shot mostly in Ontario as opposed to PEI but that wouldn't be as obvious to viewers.

let’s save the show that saved us. let’s save the show that showed us its okay to be different. let’s save the show that brought tears to our eyes and left us in awe. let’s save the show that means so much to us and the cast. we can do this. #SaveAnneWithAnnE #AnneWithAnE pic.twitter.com/1mjsvtUpRQ

— Sadie 🦒 #renewawae (@sadierosemx) November 26, 2019

There is a push online to save the show. There are split issues in trying to revive the show. The Americans are pushing on Netflix but Netflix's role is limited. CBC could have brought back the show on its own but Americans who don't get a CBC feed would struggle to be able to watch the show. Season 3 of Mary Kills People still doesn't have a home in the United States. 

Celebrating Mary Kills People in humanizing assisted suicide

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No one is saying the words "this show was cancelled because CBC doesn't want to work with Netflix because of a possible Netflix tax." If Netflix was the issue, we didn’t realize Netflix’s money was the difference between renewal and cancellation.

The separation by the CBC felt premature. If Netflix ran because of the Netflix tax, that would be sad but understandable. CBC ran away without a Netflix tax or any other kind of deal. Anne with an E is the first casualty but we fear not the last.

photo credit: Anne with an E/CBC
Twitter captures: @YoWalleyB; @sadierosemx
video credit: YouTube/Netflix

Canada is a safer place for abortion though access should be improved

The United States has been under attack with severe anti-abortion state bills designed to practically eliminate legal abortion in those states.

You might come to the conclusion that abortion rights are in way better shape in Canada than the United States.

Having covered American and Canadian politics, there is a yes-and-no answer that is worth having a column to explain and contrast policies in the side-by-side neighbours.

Roe vs. Wade gave the United States the edge in that federal abortion rights have existed since 1973. Canada doesn't get that federal standard until 1988 in what is known as the Morgentaler ruling. The Supreme Court of Canada said the then-abortion law violated women's Section 7 Charter rights to "life, liberty and security of person" and that the law "clearly interferes with a woman’s physical and bodily integrity."

The Conservative Party in Canada, whether in power with Stephen Harper or as the opposition party under Andrew Scheer, has been in the record as not wanting to reopen the abortion debate. There are backbenchers who feel otherwise but they haven't convinced their leadership to change that stance.

Prince Edward Island eases abortion restrictions (2015)

Abortion definitely an issue in New Brunswick election (2014)

In Canada and the United States, the battle is being fought on the state/provincial level. Provinces control health care though they receive money from the federal government for health care.

Prince Edward Island was in a land of its own until 2016. The province had refused to provide that form of health care on its land. The province would reimburse medical costs but not travel costs to places such as Halifax (NS) or Moncton (NB). The province sets medical abortions at 9 weeks and surgical abortions to 12 weeks, 6 days. Those requirements apply to abortions in the province.

Up until February 5, 2018, Nova Scotia required a physician referral to schedule an abortion. That was particular onerous for younger women who might not be able to find a physician that would support an abortion.

In 2014, New Brunswick required a woman to have written certification from 2 doctors that the procedure was medically necessary and the abortion must be done by an obstetrician/gynecologist in approved hospitals (only in Moncton and Bathurst). Currently, the province will only fund abortions at hospitals, not clinics.

Ontario funds abortions at some clinics, but not all of them.

Travel is a consideration for a lot of remote areas in Canada. Even in not so remote areas, travel is a concern. In the entire province of Alberta, there are lone clinics in each of the two largest cities: Edmonton and Calgary.

The anti-abortion crowd in Canada might be quieter but they do exist.

Politically, the difference is that the U.S. law is federal. Those who want to overturn Roe vs. Wade know that large U.S. cities (and their states) will still have abortion access. They want to have the right as individual states to install draconian laws against abortion.

The proposed laws are often drafted to make having an abortion across a state line a significant problem, especially if the female hasn't reached the age of majority.

In Canada, the law is still federal but provinces have a wide range of control from access, limits on number of weeks, and covering costs.

The United States prohibits federal Medicaid funding of abortions thanks to the Hyde Amendment. Canada will generally pay for abortions, an advantage thanks to the single-payer health care system.

Those who have financial means and/or live in large cities won't have to worry about abortions. Those without financial means and/or in rural areas will struggle more.

The abortion pill was supposed to be a benefactor for girls and women where access was limited. Access to the abortion pill is often lacking in the areas where it is most in need.

Canada has a major advantage over the United States: stability of the Supreme Court. Conservatives know that the Supreme Court of Canada will never overturn the 1988 ruling. The appointments of several Supreme Court justices in the United States under controversial circumstances tips the court in a direction where political, not legal, rulings are likely or possible.

Women's rights are better protected in Canada under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The United States is a state short of approving the Equal Rights Amendment.

We saw under the Harper Government that even though Harper appointed the vast majority of justices that the Court ruled unanimously against the Harper Government on key decisions. That lack of bias doesn't exist on the United States Supreme Court.

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Ireland legalised abortions in a referendum about a year ago. The government later made the procedure free for Irish women. Those women and girls in Northern Ireland have it more like Alabama's new law; those able to travel to England can get an abortion. Poland has one of the most extreme takes on abortion in Europe.

Here is to hoping abortion, birth control, contraception, and women's health care become medical issues, not political footballs.

video and photo credit: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee/TBS

Prince Edward Island has a Greens growth spurt with a minority government

Prince Edward Island had a bit more attention from outside the island with the prospect of the Green Party forming government in the province. Prince Edward Island is known for firsts with the first female premier, openly gay male premier, and a premier of non-European descent. The Green Party government did not materialise but there were a few firsts in the 2019 election.

• multiple members elected from 3 parties in the province
• most number of Green Party seats in any province
• Green Party opposition in any province
• minority government in the modern era of the province*

*The 1890 election produced a 15-15 tie between the Conservatives and Liberals. The incumbent Conservatives started out in power until 1891 when the Liberals took over. This is a much different minority government.

The Progressive Conservatives picked up the pattern of 3 Liberal elections followed by 3 PC elections since 1966 except for a 4th Liberal election in 1978. The PCs won 12 seats last night to 8 for the Greens and 6 for the Liberals.

Dennis King has only been the PC leader since February. To his credit, King ran a campaign based on civility and working together. King's speech was as kind as Jason Kenney's Alberta speech was mean. That might be the difference between "united" and "progressive."

A dentist by trade, Peter Bevan-Baker proved a lesson in perseverance. Bevan-Baker ran in 9 provincial (Ontario and PEI) and federal elections before being the first Green Party member elected from the province in 2015. The Green Party doubled in size when Hannah Bell won a 2017 by-election. Now Bevan-Baker is the opposition leader in the legislature in Charlottetown.

So many of us are in pain tonight. Press release from @peigreens on the loss of a friend #peipoli https://t.co/UJ3Q3cgeqg

— Peter Bevan-Baker (@peterbevanbaker) April 20, 2019

Bevan-Baker kicked off his speech by recognising the tremendous loss of Josh Underhay and his son Oliver. Underhay (35) and his son (6) died in a canoeing accident last Friday. Underhay was the Green Party candidate for District 9, Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park. The Green Party suspended all campaigning activities until the election. The other parties suspended activities through Easter weekend.

Unlike in the United States, where dead candidates can win elections, Section 45 of the PEI Election Act calls for the election to be postponed and a by-election within 3 months of the death of a candidate.

There are 27 seats in the legislature.

Provincial elections don't normally bring out federal party leaders. Green Party leader Elizabeth May came out to campaign for the Greens in Prince Edward Island.

Speaking of May, she got married on Earth Day on Monday to John Kidder, brother of the late Canadian actor Margot Kidder. John Kidder will run in the federal election for the Green party in the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Valley (BC) riding.

As we saw with Jack Layton and Olivia Chow, married people can both represent Parliament from different ridings.

Wade MacLauchlan was trying for his second term as premier. The Liberals formed government with Robert Ghiz in 2007 and 2011. MacLauchlan was the second and final openly gay premier in Canada to lose power within the last year. Kathleen Wynne went down to defeat in Ontario in 2018.

MacLauchlan also lost his seat to Bloyce Thompson (PC) in the Stanhope-Marshfield district.

The economic numbers were good by PEI standards with its first surplus budget in a decade and unemployment down but still over 10%. This was more about a change election with an unique twist, a first for the province.

NDP leader Joe Byrne lost his election. The NDP once again got 0 seats; the party's last and only representative served from 1996-2000.

The Progressive Conservatives contingency is all male except for Darlene Compton, who won in Belfast-Murray River. The Greens contingency is 63% female with 5 of 8 women representing the party. The Liberals had 4 women in the 2015 election but none in the 2019 election.

2019 Prince Edward Island election preview

Green Maritimes? Prince Edward Island elects Green Party MLA

PEI Islanders came out in strong numbers for advance voting with 37,865 voters in 3 days, up 9,000 from the 2015 election. The almost 38,000 total sounds small, but represents 36.4% of the eligible voters.

Voter turnout was 80.5%, slightly lower than the last provincial election. District 9 could account for the difference.

Lent my voice to this short video we did @cbcpei explaining mixed member proportional in advance of #PEI's referendum on electoral reform. Someone joked we used @RealRonHoward, which made my day. #peipolihttps://t.co/mjLL1bAn5H

— Kerry Campbell (@kerrywcampbell) March 28, 2019

PEI voters also were at the polls to vote on a referendum as to keep the current system (first past the post) or switch to mixed member proportional. As the CBC News video explains, mixed member proportional would have created 18 districts to vote for individual people with 9 districts going to people based on the popular vote total.

The referendum needed to reach 50% + 1 and win the majority vote of 17 of the 27 districts. The total fell short of 50% with 15 districts casting a majority vote for the change.

While the MLA vote was postponed in District 9, Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park, voters could still cast a ballot for the referendum.

Mixed member proportional is designed to reward parties with larger vote totals but not as many seats in proportion to the vote totals.

CanadianCrossing.com Prince Edward Island coverage

2019 Canadian politics preview

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The April 23 election date would have been free of Canadian teams but the Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to play Game 7. Unlike the Alberta election with 2 American teams, Toronto and Boston has a lot more pull in Prince Edward Island.

The polls closed at 7 pm ADT while the game started at 8 pm ADT. CBCT (CBC Charlottetown) had a bit of both: showing the election coverage before joining the game in progress. The Prince Edward Island TV situation is rather odd even by Maritime standards. The other Charlottetown signals are satellite retransmissions from New Brunswick: CKCW-DT-1 (CTV) from Moncton and CHNB-DT-14 (Global) from Saint John.

NHL fans could have watched Rogers Sportsnet, another CBC affiliate, or streamed the game online. Politics fans could have streamed the CBC election coverage online.

photos credit: CBC News Network
Twitter captures: @peterbevanbaker; @kerrywcampbell

2019 Prince Edward Island election preview

Prince Edward Island is the pinnacle of democracy in North America. Traditionally high voter turnouts, a openly gay premier, and not the infighting on the level of, say, Alberta. In 2019, the province may jump from red (Liberals) to Greens.

Wade MacLauchlan (Liberal) is the premier running in his second election as premier. The Liberals won 18 of the 27 seats in the 2015 election, down to 16 seats. Dennis King (Progressive Conservative) is the brand new opposition leader taking his place in February. King's party has 8 seats, same as those won in 2015.

The PCs have struggled with leadership since Rob Lantz lost his seat in the 2015 election. Steven Myers and Jamie Fox filled in as the opposition leader. James Aylward won the leadership race but resigned with a year.

The Green Party now have 2 seats in the legislature. Peter Bevan-Baker won in 2015 and the party won a by-election with a victory for Hannah Bell in November 2017.

Joe Byrne is the New Democratic Party leader as of April 7, 2018. The NDP have 0 current seats. There is a single independent in the legislature.

The Liberals have been in power since 2007. The economic numbers are good by PEI standards with its first surplus budget in a decade and unemployment down but still over 10%. No party on the island has won 4 straight elections since 1978.

The province had an 84.6% voter turnout in the 2015 election. The PEI turnout in 2011 was 76.4%.

Green Maritimes? Prince Edward Island elects Green Party MLA

2019 Canadian politics preview

Prince Edward Island voters will also vote in an electoral reform referendum. Voters can choose whether they want to move to a mixed member proportional representation.

The Green Party is leading considerably in the polls. A jump from minuscule numbers to a majority government isn't that obscure in Prince Edward Island. The Progressive Conservatives won 23-4 over the Liberals in the 2003 election. The Liberals won 23-4 in the 2011 election over the Progressive Conservatives.

If the Progressive Conservatives don't offer a viable alternative and the NDP have 0 seats, there is an opportunity for the Greens. The last PEI minority government was elected in 1890.

CanadianCrossing.com Prince Edward Island coverage

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The April 23 election date will be during the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Prince Edward Island doesn't have a logical team to root for in the NHL. The island may have a few Boston fans and has access to Montréal and Ottawa games. Look for some political ads during games, especially playoff games.

We will see how the CBC will juggle hockey with election coverage in Prince Edward Island and Alberta since we saw CBC dump out of covering the Ontario election last year.

photo credit: Elections PEI

Top 10 Canadian travel stories of 2017 (so far)

Canada 150 is going strong. The Canadian dollar has risen a bit with a falling U.S. dollar but the exchange rate is still at about 20% in favour of the American tourist.

Perhaps you are on vacation in Canada right now. If not, why aren't you in Canada?

The free admission to national parks has certainly helped increase interest. In the first 7 months, more than 14 million have gone to national parks and historic sites, up 12% from the same time period in 2016. The increase is more than 1.5 million visitors.

Point Pelee in southwestern Ontario has seen a 66% spike over the same time from last year. Prince Edward Island National Park is up 37%.

We thought we would look back at some of our best travel-related stories in 2017:

Barack Obama takes in Montreal

U.S. presidents do go to Canada (some of them anyway) but they don't get to stay long or take time to appreciate what Canada has to offer.

The former president gave a speech at the Palais des congrès before the Montréal Chamber of Commerce. President Obama also took some time to hang out with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Liverpool House.

Obama even wished Montréal "bon anniversaire" for the city's 375th birthday.

The two leaders enjoyed oysters and lobster spaghetti as well as local fare such as smoked trout, asparagus, rib steak, halibut, and morel mushrooms.

Former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spent part of this summer in North Hatley in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

The awareness of Newfoundland has significantly increased in the last year or so thanks to Come From Away. Even with only a single Tony Award, the cast performed a song during the 2017 Tony Awards.

We even talked about a potential tour of Newfoundland destinations from The Shipping News in New Bonaventure to Gander, the site of the play. You can see where Newfoundland films were made from The Grand Seduction to Rare Birds.

If you want to see location shots from Republic of Doyle (now on Netflix), St. John's has plenty of shots, including the exterior of the Doyles' bar. There is a real bar on the inside with outstanding gravy.

The trip is a long distance from everywhere and the climate may not be warm, but the area will bring a lot of good travel memories.

Anne with an E makes Netflix debut

Prince Edward Island. Potatoes. Red soil. Mussels. Anne of Green Gables.

The updated series that aired on CBC and Netflix has been renewed for a second season. Though most of the show is not shot in PEI, the show should be inspiration to explore the land that inspired the great novel.

I do share my travel memories of the island in the travel story as well. Try the Cows ice cream. Mmmmm. Extra butterfat.

Day 2 for Kelly and Ryan in Niagara Falls: Howie Mandel and Nathan Fillion

Day 1 for Kelly and Ryan in Niagara Falls: Justin Trudeau and Tatiana Maslany

Niagara Falls is barely in Canada but Live with Kelly and Ryan did spend a couple of days on the Canadian side of the falls. The show did travel to Two Sisters Vineyards at Niagara-on-the-Lake where Americans saw a 20-year-old legally drinking. That felt Canadian.

Use Niagara Falls as a jumping off point to explore the southern Ontario region, even if that only involves vineyards. Stratford is a bit more than 2 hours away and Toronto is only a couple of hours away.

Washington Post travel section celebrates going to Canada

The Washington Post got into the spirit of Canada 150 and free admission to national parks to produce 5 significant travel stories for the newspaper.

If you aren't able to travel where you want to go in Canada, these articles would prove to be a fine resource well after Canada 150.

Canadian tourism ads from 2017 winter NHL Center Ice free preview

We cover a lot of Canadian ads during MLB Extra Innings and NHL Center Ice free previews. The winter break had so many tourism-related ads that we created a separate story. The ads were summer-related including the polar bears in Churchill. I had a friend who was just up there this summer. Her polar bear pictures were beautiful.

The collection includes Manitoba, Edmonton, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The Ontario refugees was more about how welcoming the province is to new arrivals.

CFL travels have sent me to every league city

Summer travel may be over soon but traveling for the CFL is almost at the halfway point. I've been to every CFL city as well as Moncton for Touchdown Atlantic.

Coming from downtown Montréal, getting to Molson Stadium is a bit of a climb, but the views are really amazing at the Alouettes home stadium. Trains take you right to the stadiums in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary.

Walking to old and now new Mosaic Stadium is a reasonably short walk in downtown Regina. Buses take you right to the stadiums in Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Toronto requires a streetcar and a healthy walk or a GO train and a relatively short walk.

However you get there, you have a lot of good options to take in a CFL game this fall.

Where to visit Canada in 2017

All Canada national parks are free in 2017

Things have been fairly smooth in Banff National Park other than a few wildfire-related problems. Banff was expected to be crowded with the free admission for 2017. The scenery is absolutely off the charts. If you go in 2018 and the parks are no longer free, you will get a lot of beauty for the admission price.

The BC wildfires have caused a lot of damage in people and property. Was glad to get to Tofino last year in between the years of extreme wildfires.

You had and have a lot of choices for national parks in Canada. And there is still plenty of beauty remaining this year. 

Tofino: an escape within Vancouver Island

This is a bonus article since this first ran on December 28 but you might not have read it until 2017. Tofino offered a true escape inside a rainforest. Surfing in wetsuits is a major activity. You can find plenty of places for relaxing nature and then fish tacos for sustenance.

You can find all our travel coverage here.

photos credit: me; Obama Foundation; me; Live with Kelly and Ryan; Prince Edward Island tourism; Parks Canada; me