It has been over a month since the historic provincial election that brought in a Progressive Conservative minority government on P.E.I. In that time, we have been hearing a lot about collaboration and the need to work together, and I couldn’t agree more. We have an opportunity here on P.E.I. to set a shining example for other jurisdictions, like

New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, whose transitions to minority governments have been fraught with conflict.

We are fortunate on P.E.I. that the three party leaders genuinely like each other and see the value of working together. We also agree on many policy areas – with campaign promises often appearing on more than one of the three party’s platforms. But goodwill and a desire to collaborate will only take us so far. We also need a blueprint of what collaboration will look like and set ground rules for when we can’t agree.

One of our kids’ favourite books was about a little girl who wanted a cat. The plot is pretty simple: a young girl wants a cat and pleads with her parents to get her one. She leaves pictures of cats all over the house, dresses up as a cat, and eventually will only eat fish and say meow. But all these efforts to get a feline friend fail. The parents are resolute, pointing out how lucky this little girl is to have all of her books, her bike, her toy train set. Then one day, out of the blue, Mom and Dad show up with a cat-sized box. The little girl is delirious with anticipation, but when the box is opened, it’s only a stuffed toy cat. You can imagine the daughter’s reaction – not cool.