2003 Prince Edward Island general election explained

The 2003 Prince Edward Island general election was held on September 29, 2003 to elect the 27 members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The election was called on September 2 by Premier Pat Binns, who enjoyed a high level of popularity among voters.

Polling took place on September 29, despite a blackout across two-thirds of the province and other damage caused by Hurricane Juan.

Binns' Progressive Conservatives were elected to a third consecutive majority government, the first time this had happened in Island history (for the PC party). The Premier, who ran in Murray River-Gaspereaux, was re-elected, along with his entire existing cabinet.

The Liberals wrested three seats from the Tories, increasing their standing to four seats. The party's new leader, Robert Ghiz, was one of those. The son of former premier Joe Ghiz beat Charlottetown mayor George MacDonald in the riding of Charlottetown-Rochford Square in Charlottetown.

The New Democrats did not win any seats; their leader, Gary Robichaud, was defeated by a Tory incumbent in Wilmot-Summerside.

Results

↓

23	4
PC	Liberal

Party		Party Leader	of candidates	Seats			Popular Vote
				2000 election	Elected	% Change		%	Progressive Conservative	Pat Binns	27	26	23	align="right"	-11.5%	43,712	54.29%	Liberal	Robert Ghiz	27	1	4	+300%	34,347	42.66%	New Democrats	Gary Robichaud	24	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	2,460	3.06%
Total			77	27	27	align="right"	-	80,519	100%

Largest and smallest margins of victory

The five largest margins of victory were:

1. Kensington-Malpeque: Mitch Murphy, PC, defeated Janice Sherry, Liberal, by 1416 votes.
2. North River-Rice Point: Ron MacKinley, Liberal, defeated Donna Butler, PC, by 1103 votes.
3. Murray River-Gaspereaux: Pat Binns, PC, defeated Michelle Johnston, Liberal, by 959 votes.
4. Glen Stewart-Bellevue Cove: David McKenna, PC, defeated Eric Ellsworth, Liberal, by 958 votes.
5. Alberton-Miminegash: Cletus Dunn, PC, defeated Robert B. White, Liberal, by 737 votes.

The five smallest margins of victory were:

1. Sherwood-Hillsborough: Elmer MacFadyen, PC, defeated Robert Mitchell, Liberal, by 61 votes.
2. Borden-Kinkora: Fred McCardle, PC, defeated Lorne Sutherland, Liberal, by 71 votes.
3. St. Eleanors-Summerside: Helen MacDonald, PC, defeated Gerard Greenan, Liberal, by 93 votes.
4. Evangeline-Miscouche: Wilfred Arsenault, PC, defeated Sonny Gallant, Liberal, by 104 votes.
5. Charlottetown-Kings Square: Richard Brown, Liberal, defeated Bob MacMillan, PC, by 142 votes.

Riding-by-riding results

Prince County

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Alberton-Miminegash|| |Cletus Dunn
1697||Robert B. White
960||Donna Hardy
53|| || |Cletus J. Dunn|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Borden-Kinkora|| |Fred McCardle
1528||Lorne Sutherland
1457||James Rodd
80|| || |Eric Hammill†|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Cascumpec-Grand River|| |Philip Brown
1477||Robert Noye
981||Peter Robinson
178|| || |Philip Brown|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Evangeline-Miscouche|| |Wilfred Arsenault
1312||Sonny Gallant
1208||Leona Arsenault
69|| || |Wilfred Arsenault

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Kensington-Malpeque|| |Mitch Murphy
2536||Janice Sherry
1120||George S. Hunter
92|| || |Mitch Murphy |-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|St. Eleanors-Summerside|| |Helen MacDonald
1590||Gerard Greenan
1497||Paulette Halupa
97|| || |Helen MacDonald|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Tignish-Deblois|| |Gail Shea
1480||Neil LeClair
1177||Reg Pendergast
20|| || |Gail Shea

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|West Point-Bloomfield|| |Eva Rodgerson
1193||Sean O'Halloran
872||Ed Kilfoil
232|| || |Eva Rodgerson|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Wilmot-Summerside|| |Greg Deighan
1807||Duke Cormier
1402||Gary Robichaud
257|| || |Greg Deighan|}

Queens County

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Belfast-Pownal Bay|| |Wilbur MacDonald
1331||Sarah Jane Bell
1091||Michael Page
110|| || |Wilbur MacDonald

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Crapaud-Hazel Grove||Norman MacPhee
1683|| |Carolyn Bertram
1829||Miranda Ellis
99|| || |Norman MacPhee|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Glen Stewart-Bellevue Cove|| |David McKenna
2249||Eric Ellsworth
1291||Jane MacNeil
243|| || |Pat Mella|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|North River-Rice Point||Donna Butler
1403|| |Ron MacKinley
2506||Marlene Hunt
108|| || |Ron MacKinley

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Park Corner-Oyster Bed|| |Beth MacKenzie
1908||Jean Tingley
1608||Ken Bingham
184|||| |Beth MacKenzie

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Stanhope-East Royalty|| |Jamie Ballem
1858||Robert Vessey
1400||Gerard Gallant
78|| || |Jamie Ballem |-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Tracadie-Fort Augustus|| |Mildred Dover
1628||Buck Watts
1253||Robert Perry
64|| || |Mildred Dover|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Winsloe-West Royalty|| |Wayne Collins
1971||Gordon MacKay
1816|||| || |Don MacKinnon†|}

Charlottetown

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Charlottetown-Kings Square||Bob MacMillan
1278|| |Richard Brown
1420||Kevin Roach
86|||| |Bob MacMillan|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Charlottetown-Rochford Square||George MacDonald
1276|| |Robert Ghiz
1433||J'Nan Brown
120|||| |Jeff Lantz †|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Charlottetown-Spring Park|| |Wes MacAleer
1649||Barry Ling
1448||Teresa Peters
99|| || |Wes MacAleer

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Parkdale-Belvedere|| |Chester Gillan
1562||Charlie Cooke
897||Nick Boragina
78|| || |Chester Gillan|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Sherwood-Hillsborough|| |Elmer MacFadyen
1408||Robert Mitchell
1347||Ronald G. Kelly
75|| || |Elmer MacFadyen|}

Kings County

|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Georgetown-Baldwin's Road|| |Mike Currie
1652||Danny Walker
984||Jane Dunphy
64|||| |Mike Currie|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Montague-Kilmuir|| |Jim Bagnall
1431||John Van Dyke
792||Lorne Cudmore
30|| || |Jim Bagnall|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Morell-Fortune Bay|| |Kevin MacAdam
1601||Larry McGuire
1050|||||| |Kevin J. MacAdam|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Murray River-Gaspereaux|| |Pat Binns
1584||Michelle Johnston
625||Edith Perry
45|| || |Pat Binns|-|bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Souris-Elmira|| |Andy Mooney
1291||Philip MacDonald
1047|||| || |Andy Mooney|}

See also

• List of PEI political parties

References

1. Web site: Saltwire | Prince Edward Island.

Further reading

• Book: Mutimer . David . Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs, 2003 . 2009 . University of Toronto Press . Toronto . 9780802099853 . registration.

External links

• Government of Prince Edward Island
• Elections PEI
• CBC - PEI Votes 2003

Parties

• Progressive Conservative Party of PEI (see also Progressive Conservative Party of Canada)
• Liberal Party of PEI (see also Liberal Party of Canada)
• Island New Democrats (see also New Democratic Party)