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PEI Election

October 4, 2011 by · Comments Off on PEI Election 

PEI ElectionPEI Election, Voters in P.E.I. have cast their vote in provincial elections on Monday. Robert Ghiz Liberal leader is hoping to win a second term. The polls close at 7 pm.

Ghiz joined the campaign in early September as the heavy favorite with a comfortable lead in the polls and facing an opposition Progressive Conservative who was receiving a single shift. The Liberals held 24 of 27 seats at dissolution, with an empty seat and a Tory owner does not offer again.

The campaign took a sharp turn towards the end of its second week, when federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney called RCMP and Canadian Border Services to investigate allegations of bribery in the immigrant investor section of the Provincial Nominee Program.

PNP was a constant problem for the Advancement of Conservative leader Olive Crane. Since 2008 the government had been harassing a public inquiry into the sponsorship program. Businesses of various MLAs, deputy ministers, and their families receive investments through the PNP. The matter had, however, all but died before the new allegations to the surface.

PNP was not the only incident that broke out in the campaign.
A major international real estate developer, Homburg Invest, sought protection from creditors on Sept. 9, and PEI was learned that the government was a major creditor. The province has the first mortgage, and valued at 16.3 million in the Grand Holman in downtown Charlottetown.

It has another and 16.5 million in other loans to related companies, which are considered financially stable.

The Holman Grand Hotel, the tallest building in Prince Edward Island, was controversial both in its design and the amount of money the government had sent in loans to the company that built it. Uncertainty about the return of the money only added to the controversy.

The New Democratic Party candidates took to the election, and within only 14 candidates were nominated.

Although, as head of James Rodd said, 14 is sufficient to form a government, is a disappointing turnout for a party that could have been looking to build on recent success at the federal level. At least the NDP seeks to recover from fourth place behind the Green Party in 2007.

The Green Party, meanwhile, is fielding candidates in 22 districts.

In the history of P.E.I. policy, the first term governments seeking re-election has a strong track record.

There has been a one-term government on the island since 1930. To make matters worse for the party candidates seeking a second term, the pattern is for governments to improve their position in their second choice.

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