Political parties gear up for byelection in District 10, Charlottetown-Winsloe

There may not be a date set yet for the byelection in District 10, Charlottetown-Winsloe, but political parties are not wasting any time getting ready.

Premier Dennis King has not said when he will call a byelection.

But P.E.I.'s Election Act requires an election to be called within six months of the seat being vacated.

Don Desserud, a UPEI political science professor, says he expects the premier to call an election soon. 

"The prize is significant. The party that wins has bragging rights and momentum. They are going to be the happiest people on the planet," said Desserud. 

"If the PCs win, that actually technically puts them in majority territory, so it is a big prize for them."    

'We're well on our way getting organized'

Robert Mitchell announced Sept. 3 that he was stepping down as the Liberal MLA for Charlottetown-Winsloe after 13 years in public office. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

The Green Party was first out of the gate. A win for the Green Party would strengthen its caucus and the party's hold on the capital city. 

The party issued a news release three days after Mitchell's resignation calling on members to submit names for potential candidates.

Susan Hartley, acting president of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island, said her party will be ready whenever the byelection is called. 

"We're well on our way getting organized. We did have an emergency council meeting immediately and established an election readiness committee," said Hartley.

The Green Party does not have a local riding association in the district so the party is drawing on support from across the province.

Hartley said that was also the case in the District 11 byelection in November 2017. 

"It's actually an advantage for us because we pulled energy and people power from all over the province."

'Contested nomination builds excitement'

P.E.I. PC Party president Charles Blue said the hunt is on for candidates.

"There is a lot of interest out there," said Blue.

"I would hope that it is contested. I would expect that it would be contested. A contested nomination builds excitement."

A win for the PCs would give the party 14 seats in the 27-seat legislature, a slim majority.

'Holding the government to account'

Jordan Brown, who is on the executive with the Liberal Party of P.E.I., said there has been a lot of interest in the Liberal nomination. 

The Liberals will be looking to hold onto the seat to show that  the fortunes of the party — which is now the third party in the legislature — are turning around. 

"We, as the Liberal Party, think Rob Mitchell did a great job, and whoever would come next, we would hope would follow in his footsteps and look to do a strong job in holding the government to account," said Brown, who is also a former Liberal MLA.

NDP leader also steps down

NDP P.E.I. president Jason Alward said his party held an election readiness committee meeting and has started the process to find a candidate.

Alward said not having a leader should not hurt the party's chances of securing a candidate for the upcoming byelection. Earlier this month, former party leader Joe Byrne announced he was stepping down as leader.

"Joe, as he has stated to the CBC in the past, has indicated that he's still very much involved with the party," he said.

"In fact, he will be involving himself in policy going forward. In fact, I've reached out to Joe just this morning to see if he'd be interested in being involved in the vetting process for potential candidates." 

The NDP has won only one seat in the province's history. That was Herb Dickieson in O'Leary in 1996. A win for the NDP would add a fourth party to the P.E.I. Legislature.       

In the last provincial election, the Liberal Party won 42 per cent of the vote in District 10, Charlottetown-Winsloe. The Green Party placed second with 31 per cent, leaving the PC Party in third place with nearly 26 per cent of the vote. The NDP placed a distant fourth with 1.2 per cent. 

All political parties say COVID-19 will change how they will wage the campaign, especially in a province where hundreds of people have packed into halls for past nominating meetings. 

Each say they will be seeking direction from the Chief Public Health Office.

'It's about a single MLA in a single riding'

Desserud said physical distancing rules and other pandemic restrictions will make this byelection particularly difficult in P.E.I. 

"Politics here is personal. The way in which politicians get their message across is not through splashy TV advertisements or even newspaper ads. It's the door-to-door, one-on-one [approach] because it's a small enough place that you can actually do that."  

As for who has the political advantage going into the byelection, Desserud said that is the million-dollar question.

"People will vote in a byelection in a way that they would not have voted in a general election," said Desserud.

"There is no provincial campaign. It's not about choosing a government or rejecting a government. It's about a single MLA in a single riding, so local issues might dominate."

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