Citizens' assembly to explore electoral reform on P.E.I. could be created in new year, premier says

Premier Dennis King says his government will decide in the new year how to move forward with a request to strike a citizens' assembly to explore proportional representation.

That request came from a motion introduced in the fall sitting by Green MLA Steve Howard.

It passed by a slim margin, with support from all three parties.

"It is now in the hands of the premier to develop and resource a citizens' assembly, the sooner the better," said Howard during member statements in the legislature on Nov. 17.

"Islanders, and far beyond, are watching. They are waiting to hear and see your response. Please do not disappoint as those in the past have."

Most Conservative MLAs voted against the motion.

Despite that, King said his government will take the result seriously.

"I think anytime we have a conversation about changing how we elect a more diverse and a more reflective legislature, it's something that we have to take very seriously," King said.

"Democracy is alive and well here on P.E.I. We've talked about this issue more so than probably any other jurisdiction in the country and that will continue for sure."

According to the motion, the citizens' assembly is to be made up of at least 27 "willing, randomly selected people" representing a broad spectrum of Island society.

They're supposed to report back with a design for an electoral system tailored to P.E.I.'s needs.

King said there are still two years before the next scheduled election and lots of time for the process to unfold.

The last time Islanders were asked to consider electoral reform was in a 2019 referendum.

At that point, 52 per cent of voters came down on the side of staying with the current first-past-the-post system.