Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party
Encyclopedia
The New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island (PEI NDP) is a social-democratic
political party in the Canadian
province of Prince Edward Island
, and a branch of the federal New Democratic Party
(NDP).
(CCF), began in 1936 when a CCF club was founded in the Bedeque
region during a visit by CCF MP Ted Garland. The CCF did not run candidates on the island, however, until 1943 when the national party made a concerted effort to rally the party by sending an organizer to tour the province recruiting several candidates to run in the 1943 provincial election
. Later that year a founding convention was held with York South
MP Joseph Noseworthy as guest speaker. Irving Toombs was elected president and Douglas MacFarlane provincial secretary.
The CCF ran candidates on the island in the 1945 federal election
, the first time the CCF contested Island seats in a federal election, and again in a provincial by-election in December. In the 1947 provincial election
, the CCF contested 16 seats. The party only contested five seats in the 1951 election
, however, due to bad road conditions and high deposits. One of the CCF's candidates was Hilda Ramsay
running in 3rd Prince in 1951, the first woman ever to run in a PEI provincial election.
While not contesting any further provincial elections, the CCF ran one candidate in PEI in the 1953 federal election
, three in the 1957 federal election
and one in 1958
.
of Canada. Federal leader Tommy Douglas
addressed the meeting and Ian Webster was elected provincial president and Lorne Perry vice president. The NDP went on to stand a full slate of four candidates in PEI during the 1962 federal election
and, thereafter, ran full slates on the island during federal elections.
The 1968 federal election
saw Charlottetown teacher David Hall in Hillsborough make the party's strongest showing. He was subsequently chosen as the PEI NDP's first provincial leader. The party contested three provincial by-elections in 1972, its first attempt at provincial seats since the CCF days, and received 5.2 per cent of the total vote. Aquinas Ryan, a school principal from Morell in Kings County, led the party into the 1974 provincial general election
and got 5.9% of the vote, but due to internal bickering, the party fell in the polls.
In the 1993 election
, under the leadership of Larry Duschene, the party share of the popular vote rose to 5.4%. Dr. Herb Dickieson
took over as leader, and changed the name of the party from the PEI NDP, to the "Island New Democrats". In the 1996 election
, the party captured 7.8% of the vote, and Dr. Dickieson was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
for the riding of West Point-Bloomfield
. He was the first member of a third party
to ever win a seat to the PEI House of Assembly. Dr. Dickieson narrowly lost his seat in the 2000 election
despite the party's overall popular vote rising to 8.4%.
During the 2003 provincial election the party lacked funds and were poorly organized. The party lost its base of support, only capturing 3% of the popular vote. Some within the party credit this to the return to the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island of many voters who left the party following the Liberal provincial government's decision to reduce wages of all public employees by 7.5% in the early 1990s. The budget for the 2003 election was estimated to be around $30,000, compared to nearly $1 million for each of the other parties.
Robichaud resigned as leader on 23 June 2005 for health reasons after battling inoperable lung cancer
for two years and died shortly afterward. He was replaced in 2006 by Dean Constable
, a theatre stage manager for the Charlottetown Festival
.
The party performed poorly in the 2007 election
, finishing behind the Green Party of Prince Edward Island
with just 1.96% of the total vote or 3.48% in contested ridings, which is only a drop of 0.05%. They finished forth behind the Liberal, Progressive Conservative and Green parties. Dean Constable announced his resignation as leader on August 26, 2007. The party announced it would appoint an interim leader at or before its annual general meeting in November 2007, and hold a leadership convention in April 2008. James Rodd
, took the job of interim leader after Dean Constable
's resignation, and was elected leader on a permanent basis on 4 April 2009.
. In the past, one individual has been elected as a New Democrat, and they are as follows:
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
political party in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, and a branch of the federal New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP).
CCF
The NDP's predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth FederationCo-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
(CCF), began in 1936 when a CCF club was founded in the Bedeque
Central Bedeque, Prince Edward Island
Central Bedeque is a village in Lot 26, Prince County, Prince Edward Island. The village is north of Borden-Carleton. Its primary industry is agriculture.-History:...
region during a visit by CCF MP Ted Garland. The CCF did not run candidates on the island, however, until 1943 when the national party made a concerted effort to rally the party by sending an organizer to tour the province recruiting several candidates to run in the 1943 provincial election
Prince Edward Island general election, 1943
The Prince Edward Island general election, 1943 was held in the Canadian Province of Prince Edward Island....
. Later that year a founding convention was held with York South
York South
York South was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1999....
MP Joseph Noseworthy as guest speaker. Irving Toombs was elected president and Douglas MacFarlane provincial secretary.
The CCF ran candidates on the island in the 1945 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1945
The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada...
, the first time the CCF contested Island seats in a federal election, and again in a provincial by-election in December. In the 1947 provincial election
Prince Edward Island general election, 1947
The Prince Edward Island general election, 1947, held on December 11, saw the best showing by the CCF in its history running on PEI. The CCF even finished in second place in 4th prince, due to an extremely controversial Conservative candidate. That Candidate would take less than 100 votes, and was,...
, the CCF contested 16 seats. The party only contested five seats in the 1951 election
Prince Edward Island general election, 1951
The Prince Edward Island general election, 1951 was held on April 26, 1951 in the Canadian province of Prince Edward IslandHilda Ramsay, the first woman ever to stand for election to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, was a CCF candidate in 3rd Prince in this election....
, however, due to bad road conditions and high deposits. One of the CCF's candidates was Hilda Ramsay
Hilda Ramsay
Hilda Ramsay was a Canadian politician, who was the first woman ever to campaign for election to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island....
running in 3rd Prince in 1951, the first woman ever to run in a PEI provincial election.
While not contesting any further provincial elections, the CCF ran one candidate in PEI in the 1953 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1953
The Canadian federal election of 1953 was held on August 10 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 22nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Louis St...
, three in the 1957 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
and one in 1958
Canadian federal election, 1958
The Canadian federal election of 1958 was the 24th general election in Canada's history. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 24th Parliament of Canada on March 31, 1958, just nine months after the 23rd election...
.
NDP
The PEI NDP was founded at a convention in Charlottetown on 25 November, 1961, three months after the founding of the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
of Canada. Federal leader Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
addressed the meeting and Ian Webster was elected provincial president and Lorne Perry vice president. The NDP went on to stand a full slate of four candidates in PEI during the 1962 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
and, thereafter, ran full slates on the island during federal elections.
The 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
saw Charlottetown teacher David Hall in Hillsborough make the party's strongest showing. He was subsequently chosen as the PEI NDP's first provincial leader. The party contested three provincial by-elections in 1972, its first attempt at provincial seats since the CCF days, and received 5.2 per cent of the total vote. Aquinas Ryan, a school principal from Morell in Kings County, led the party into the 1974 provincial general election
Prince Edward Island general election, 1974
The Prince Edward Island general election, 1974 was the first election that the NDP contested as a provincial party on PEI. Not since the CCF in 1951 had there been a third party competing for votes on the island...
and got 5.9% of the vote, but due to internal bickering, the party fell in the polls.
In the 1993 election
Prince Edward Island general election, 1993
The 1993 Prince Edward Island General Election was the last to use the dual-member ridings. The election was won by the PEI Liberal party, led by new Premier Catherine Callbeck. The PC party took only a single seat, one of three times in the province's history that the Official Opposition consisted...
, under the leadership of Larry Duschene, the party share of the popular vote rose to 5.4%. Dr. Herb Dickieson
Herb Dickieson
Herb Dickieson is a physician and a former educator and politician in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Dickieson is notably the first and currently the only member of the New Democratic Party, or any third party, to have sat in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.Dickieson was raised in...
took over as leader, and changed the name of the party from the PEI NDP, to the "Island New Democrats". In the 1996 election
Prince Edward Island general election, 1996
thumb|Map of PEI's ridings showing winning parties and their popular vote.The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on November 18, 1996 to elect the 27 members of the Island legislature...
, the party captured 7.8% of the vote, and Dr. Dickieson was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, along with the Lieutenant-Governor, forms the parliament of the province. The General Assembly meets at Province House, which is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown....
for the riding of West Point-Bloomfield
O'Leary-Inverness
O'Leary-Inverness is provincial electoral district #25, for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, Canada. It was formerly known as West Point-Bloomfield from 1996 to 2007. It was created in 1996 from parts of 1st Prince and 2nd Prince...
. He was the first member of a third party
Third party (Canada)
In Canada, a third party usually refers to a relatively small federal or provincial political party that is not usually considered to have a realistic chance of forming a government, but has representation in the federal House of Commons or the provincial legislature...
to ever win a seat to the PEI House of Assembly. Dr. Dickieson narrowly lost his seat in the 2000 election
Prince Edward Island general election, 2000
The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on April 17, 2000 to elect the 27 members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island....
despite the party's overall popular vote rising to 8.4%.
During the 2003 provincial election the party lacked funds and were poorly organized. The party lost its base of support, only capturing 3% of the popular vote. Some within the party credit this to the return to the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island of many voters who left the party following the Liberal provincial government's decision to reduce wages of all public employees by 7.5% in the early 1990s. The budget for the 2003 election was estimated to be around $30,000, compared to nearly $1 million for each of the other parties.
Robichaud resigned as leader on 23 June 2005 for health reasons after battling inoperable lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
for two years and died shortly afterward. He was replaced in 2006 by Dean Constable
Dean Constable
Dean Constable was the leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party from 2006 to 2007. He replaced the late Gary Robichaud as leader. Constable previously was the theatre stage manager for the Charlottetown Festival...
, a theatre stage manager for the Charlottetown Festival
Charlottetown Festival
The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which runs from late May to mid-October every year since 1965.Named after its host city, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, since its inception the festival has showcased Canada's most popular and longest-running musical,...
.
The party performed poorly in the 2007 election
Prince Edward Island general election, 2007
The 63rd Prince Edward Island general election was held on May 28, 2007. It elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada...
, finishing behind the Green Party of Prince Edward Island
Green Party of Prince Edward Island
The Green Party of Prince Edward Island is a registered provincial political party in Prince Edward Island, Canada led by Sharon Labchuk. The party was registered in 2005 and ran candidates in both the 2007 and 2011 elections.-History:...
with just 1.96% of the total vote or 3.48% in contested ridings, which is only a drop of 0.05%. They finished forth behind the Liberal, Progressive Conservative and Green parties. Dean Constable announced his resignation as leader on August 26, 2007. The party announced it would appoint an interim leader at or before its annual general meeting in November 2007, and hold a leadership convention in April 2008. James Rodd
James Rodd
James Rodd has been leader of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island since November 2007 when he was selected as interim leader at the party's Annual General Meeting following the resignation of Dean Constable...
, took the job of interim leader after Dean Constable
Dean Constable
Dean Constable was the leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party from 2006 to 2007. He replaced the late Gary Robichaud as leader. Constable previously was the theatre stage manager for the Charlottetown Festival...
's resignation, and was elected leader on a permanent basis on 4 April 2009.
Leaders
- David Hall, 1972
- Aquinas Ryan, 1974-1977
- Doreen Sark, acting leader 1979
- Douglas Murray, 1981-1982
- David Burke, interim leader 1982-1983
- Jim Mayne, 1983-1989
- Dolores Crane, party spokesperson and acting leader 1989-1991
- Larry Duchesne, 1991-1995
- Herb DickiesonHerb DickiesonHerb Dickieson is a physician and a former educator and politician in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Dickieson is notably the first and currently the only member of the New Democratic Party, or any third party, to have sat in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.Dickieson was raised in...
, 1995-2002 - Gary RobichaudGary RobichaudGary Robichaud was a Canadian teacher and politician, and leader of the Island New Democrats political party in the province of Prince Edward Island.Robichaud was born in Saint John, New Brunswick...
, 2002-2005 - vacant, 2005-2006
- Dean ConstableDean ConstableDean Constable was the leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party from 2006 to 2007. He replaced the late Gary Robichaud as leader. Constable previously was the theatre stage manager for the Charlottetown Festival...
, 2006-2007 - James RoddJames RoddJames Rodd has been leader of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island since November 2007 when he was selected as interim leader at the party's Annual General Meeting following the resignation of Dean Constable...
, 2007-09 (interim), 2009- present
NDP members of the PEI Legislative Assembly
There are currently no New Democrats in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward IslandLegislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, along with the Lieutenant-Governor, forms the parliament of the province. The General Assembly meets at Province House, which is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown....
. In the past, one individual has been elected as a New Democrat, and they are as follows:
- Herb DickiesonHerb DickiesonHerb Dickieson is a physician and a former educator and politician in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Dickieson is notably the first and currently the only member of the New Democratic Party, or any third party, to have sat in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.Dickieson was raised in...
, West Point-Bloomfield; 1996Prince Edward Island general election, 1996thumb|Map of PEI's ridings showing winning parties and their popular vote.The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on November 18, 1996 to elect the 27 members of the Island legislature...
to his defeat in the 2000 electionPrince Edward Island general election, 2000The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on April 17, 2000 to elect the 27 members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island....
Election results
| Year of election | Candidates nominated | # of votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 Prince Edward Island general election, 1974 The Prince Edward Island general election, 1974 was the first election that the NDP contested as a provincial party on PEI. Not since the CCF in 1951 had there been a third party competing for votes on the island... |
5.9% | ||
| 1978 Prince Edward Island general election, 1978 The Prince Edward Island general election, 1978 was one of the closest on record on PEI. The Liberal Party won its fourth consecutive election by a narrow majority.... |
0.9% | ||
| 1979 Prince Edward Island general election, 1979 The Prince Edward Island general election, 1979 saw the election of a new Progressive Conservative government, which was elected with a majority both of seats and votes. The PC were led by Angus MacLean. This also marks the only appearance of the Draft Beer Party. This was the only party to contest... |
1.3% | ||
| 1982 Prince Edward Island general election, 1982 The Prince Edward Island General Election, 1982 saw the re-election of the Progressive Conservative government , with a majority of seats and votes cast. It also marked a low point for the Island New Democrats, who captured 0.7% of the vote, the lowest since they started running candidates in 1974.... |
0.7% | ||
| 1986 Prince Edward Island general election, 1986 The Prince Edward Island general election, 1986 saw a change in government from the Progressive Conservatives to the Liberals. It led to the Liberal Leader Joseph A. Ghiz becoming premier. Ghiz, who was Lebanese by birth, was one of the first non-British or French premiers in the history of Canada.... |
4.0% | ||
| 1989 Prince Edward Island general election, 1989 The 1989 Prince Edward Island general election saw a huge victory for Premier Joe Ghiz's Liberal Party. In this election, the Liberals won 60.7% of the popular vote, the highest percentage that a winning party has taken on record in Prince Edward Island. The Progressive Conservatives were able to... |
3.5% | ||
| 1993 Prince Edward Island general election, 1993 The 1993 Prince Edward Island General Election was the last to use the dual-member ridings. The election was won by the PEI Liberal party, led by new Premier Catherine Callbeck. The PC party took only a single seat, one of three times in the province's history that the Official Opposition consisted... |
5.4% | ||
| 1996 Prince Edward Island general election, 1996 thumb|Map of PEI's ridings showing winning parties and their popular vote.The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on November 18, 1996 to elect the 27 members of the Island legislature... |
27 | 6,283 | 7.85% |
| 2000 Prince Edward Island general election, 2000 The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on April 17, 2000 to elect the 27 members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.... |
27 | 6,446 | 8.16% |
| 2003 Prince Edward Island general election, 2003 thumb|Map of PEI's ridings showing winning parties and their popular vote.The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election in September 2003 to elect the 27 members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island... |
24 | 2,460 | 3.06% |
| 2007 Prince Edward Island general election, 2007 The 63rd Prince Edward Island general election was held on May 28, 2007. It elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada... |
15 | 1,597 | 1.96% |
See also
- List of Prince Edward Island political parties