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HOME / REFERENCE / ALL ABOUT PEI / GOVERNMENT /

Provincial

Prince Edward Island has a parliamentary form of Provincial Government which is part of a constitutional Monarchy. Its Lieutenant-Governor is Her Majesty the Queens's Provincial representative. Like the Governor-General, the position is largely honorary. The Lieutenant-Governor must approve all laws and executive orders. The Lieutenant-Governor always acts on the advice of the Premier.

The Provincial Government consists of a Legislative Assembly with 27 members elected from 27 electoral districts. The four major political parties are: Progressive Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic Party and The Green Party. The party with the largest number of members elected to serve in parliament forms the government. The Premier is the actual head of the provincial government. He/she is a member of the Legislative Assembly, and the leader of the majority party. The Premier and the other members of the Legislative Assembly are elected by vote. The Premier presides over the Executive Council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council includes other ministers that the Premier chooses from among his party's elected members. Executive Council members head one or more Provincial Government departments or agencies which are located throughout the Province in numerous provincial buildings and Access PEI sites throughout the Province. If the Executive Council loses the support of most of the Assembly, it resigns.

The Legislative Assembly makes the provincial laws. They appoint one elected member, usually from the majority party, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The Speaker presides over the Assembly, directing its proceedings. They often call upon him or her to rule on practices, precedents and procedures. Members of the Legislative Assembly can serve terms of up to five years. The Lieutenant Governor, on the advice of the premier, may call an election before the end of the five-year period. In such a case, all the members of the Assembly may run for reelection. All residents of Prince Edward Island 18 years of age are eligible to vote in federal, provincial or municipal elections. All voters must be Canadian citizens and meet the applicable definition for a resident.

Check out our Premiers Gallery, you can explore the history of Island Premiers-past. Thirty-six people have served as Premier of the Province; for each we have a picture and brief biography available.