2007 Prince Edward Island general election

The 2007 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. The incumbent Progressive Conservative government was defeated by the [Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Liberal Party|Liberal Party|Liberal] opposition after holding power for eleven years.
The newly formed Green Party captured 3.04% of the vote or 4.44% in ridings they contested, beating out the New Democratic Party for third place. The New Democrats fell to 1.96% or 3.43% in ridings contested. They captured 3.06% of the vote, or 3.48% in the 24 of the 27 ridings they contested in the 2003 election.
Only eight Members of the Legislative Assembly were re-elected. Seven did not run for re-election; twelve were defeated. The government suffered loss of 15 seats and was defeated.
In 2006, a controversy arose in Prince Edward Island over the provincial government's decision to throw out an electoral map drawn by an independent commission. Instead, they created two new maps. The government adopted the second of them, which was designed by the caucus of the governing Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island. Opposition parties and the media attacked Premier Pat Binns for what they saw as gerrymandering of districts. Among other things, the government adopted a map that ensured that every current Member of the Legislative Assembly from the premier's party had a district to run in for re-election, but in the original map, several had been redistricted. However, in the 2007 provincial election only eight Members of the Legislative Assembly were re-elected .

Results

! rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Party
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Party leader
!rowspan="2"|Candidates
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|Seats
! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|Popular vote
!2003
!Dissol.
!2007
!Change
!#
!%
!Change

Synopsis of results

''* - renamed in 2007 redistribution''

Largest and smallest margins of victory

The five largest margins of victory were:

Rustico-Emerald: Carolyn Bertram, Liberal, defeated David Blacquiere, PC, by 869 votes.
Cornwall-Meadowbank: Ron MacKinley, Liberal, defeated Margaret Duffy, PC, by 853 votes.
Charlottetown-Brighton: Robert Ghiz, Liberal, defeated John Abbott, PC, by 753 votes.
O'Leary-Inverness: Robert Henderson, Liberal, defeated Eva Rodgerson, PC, by 678 votes.
Summerside-Wilmot: Janice Sherry, Liberal, defeated Gerard McCardle, PC, by 582 votes.

The five smallest margins of victory were:

Vernon River-Stratford: Alan McIsaac, Liberal, defeated Allan Fraser, PC, by 66 votes.
Stratford-Kinlock: Cynthia Dunsford, Liberal, defeated David McKenna, PC, by 81 votes.
Alberton-Roseville: Pat Murphy, Liberal, defeated Cletus Dunn, PC, by 123 votes.
Montague-Kilmuir: Jim Bagnall, PC, defeated Billy Cann, Liberal, by 134 votes.
Souris-Elmira: Allan Campbell, Liberal, defeated Andy Mooney, PC, by 210 votes.

Timeline

April 10, 2007 - Treasurer Mitch Murphy unveils the provincial budget. Many people referred to this budget as an "election budget", as it had promises for everyone.
April 17, 2007 - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news article declares Wikipedia the new PEI election battleground, with edits to the Pat Binns article that some say are partisan in nature.
April 26, 2007 - The ban on canned carbonated beverages was lifted. Canned beverages such as beer will be available by the summer, while soda will be available by January 1, 2008. This is thought to be a way to "grab votes" according to Sharon Labchuk and Dean Constable.
April 30, 2007 - Premier Pat Binns calls the election at his constituency's Progressive Conservative nominating convention.
May 1, 2007 - The Liberal Party release a series of political attack ads which many call "United States-style". One advertisement ran during Tuesday night's broadcast of American Idol on CTV. This type of advertising isn't normally seen in Island elections.
May 11, 2007 - All four party leaders talk rural health care and doctor recruitment.
May 15, 2007 - The first of a string of leaders debates was held. The leaders from all four parties attended.
May 28, 2007 - Liberals win a majority of seats, in the PEI Legislature. Taking 23 of 27, while the Progressive Conservatives drop to 4 seats. The New Democrats and the Greens win none.
June 12, 2007 - Liberal government of Robert Ghiz is sworn in, following resignation of the Pat Binns government.
August 30, 2007 - Pat Binns named ambassador to Ireland and steps down as leader of the opposition, and as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island.
September 4, 2007 - Olive Crane named interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island and made leader of the opposition.

Riding by riding results

Cardigan

1,527
1,130
112
1,678
1,389
94
1,447
1,313
1,384
941
94
560
1,212
1,422
70
121
1,601
1,682
129
73
1,321
1,387
100
80

Malpeque

1,351
1,811
292
908
1,761
78
79
1,246
1,811
221
171
1,574
1,788
192
1,101
1,970
197
1,401
1,970
126
61

Charlottetown

916
1,669
185
1,299
1,865
1,101
1,666
134
1,245
1,712
83
85
958
1,536
166
207
1,102
1,577
95
73
1,306
1,766
135

Egmont

1,364
1,487
95
59
935
1,311
103
1,055
1,731
1,228
1,697
86
77
34
1,063
1,645
173
1,276
1,569
1,155
1,599