Plan to Give Islanders a Greater Say
Charlottetown, PE - Islanders want a strong and robust democracy on PEI, even if Dennis King doesn’t.
Despite a commitment in his government’s first throne speech to make democratic reforms, Dennis King has been a failure on democratic renewal. When offered multiple occasions to expand voting rights, his government refused.
When the Legislative Assembly passed a motion to establish a citizens’ assembly on proportional representation—which would lead to a legislature that more accurately reflects the voting intentions of Islanders and would elect more women and other underrepresented groups—Dennis King did nothing.
The Green Party believes that a healthy democracy is one where more people are able to participate and people feel their legislature is reflective of themselves and their values. But a healthy democracy does not happen on its own—it requires an active commitment from our elected officials.
To strengthen our Island democracy, a Green Government will:
Create Citizens’ Assemblies to tackle important issues. The first of these would be to determine the model of proportional representation for PEI. From there, this assembly would get to work on issues such as climate change, housing, rural governance, poverty, and other issues of importance to Islanders.
Legislate proportional representation, based on the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly.
Lower the voting age to 16 years.
Allow permanent residents to vote in municipal and school board elections.
Quotes:
“Islanders want democratic institutions where they see themselves represented and where elected officials work together collegially. By implementing proportional representation and expanding the franchise, we can improve our democracy and create a legislature that works for the many, not the few.”
Peter Bevan-Baker, Leader of the Green Party of PEI
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Hamel
Director of Communications, Green Party of PEI
Tel: (902) 916-7816
Email: jonathan.hamel@greenparty.pe.ca
