Leader Peter Bevan-Baker Deputy leader Lynne Lund Ideology Green | President Anna Keenan Founded 2005 | |
Headquarters Hampton, Prince Edward Island | ||
The Green Party of Prince Edward Island is a registered provincial political party in Prince Edward Island, Canada founded by Sharon Labchuk. The party was registered in 2005 and ran candidates in the 2007 and 2011 elections. In the 2015 election, the party elected its first member of the legislature, leader Peter Bevan-Baker, with 54% of the vote.
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History
The Green Party of PEI ran 18 candidates during its first election, in May 2007, winning 3.04% of the vote or 4.44% in ridings contested, and replacing the Island New Democrats as the Island's third party. The result had marked the first time a Green Party has bested a New Democratic Party at the federal or provincial level in Canada at that time.
A third of all candidates won more than 5.40%. Jamie Larkin had the best result of 8.45% followed by dentist Peter Bevan-Baker 6.84%, Cindy Burton 6.68%, Party leader Sharon Labchuk 6.03%, Denise Reiser 5.79%, and Jodie Bowmaster 5.40%.
All other candidates captured less than 5.0%, however 14 out of the 18 candidates had placed ahead of the NDP, two of the four candidates who finished fourth did so by just one and two votes.
The party ran a candidate in the 2007 by-election to replace Pat Binns in the riding of Belfast-Murray River. Candidate Ahmon Katz finished 3.2% ahead of NDP candidate Jane McNeil.
In the 2011 general election the party increased its number of candidates from 18 in the 2007 election to 22, and upped the vote share from 3% to 4.4%, or 5.3% in ridings contested, beating out the PEI New Democrats for third place again. The party increased its votes per riding from 138 to 147, even though turnout in the province fell from 84 to 77%.
Party leader Sharon Labchuk running in Charlottetown-Victoria Park had the best result at 12.82%, followed by Elizabeth Schoales in Charlottetown-Brighton at 10.17%, and Peter Bevan-Baker in Kellys Cross-Cumberland at 9.36%.
At 59%, the party had the highest number of women candidates in the 2011 election. The Green Party of PEI is the first Canadian political party to run more than 50% women candidates.
Sharon Labchuk resigned the leadership of the Green Party of PEI on 12 July 2012. She was succeeded by Peter Bevan-Baker on November 3, 2012.
The party released its platform for the 2015 election on March 20, 2015. In that election, leader Bevan-Baker was elected in the district of Kellys Cross-Cumberland with 54% of the vote, and won the party's first seat.