Pat Binns and his Progressive Conservatives went down to defeat in Monday's Prince Edward Island election, at least in part because of how two campaign promises fed into Islanders' growing appetite for change.
The popular three-term premier went from a bid for his fourth mandate to an uncertain future in opposition, as the Liberals under Robert Ghiz waltzed to victory.
PC Leader Pat Binns thanks party workers during his concession speech in Murray River Monday night.
(CBC)
Binns was not ready to make any quick decisions about his own future Monday night.
"I'm going to take it one night at a time here," Binns told CBC News in Murray River.
"I want to take a little time to think about that."
Leading up to election day, Binns was criticized for announcing two surprising and controversial projects midway through the 28-day campaign. Spending allocations for the projects had appeared nowhere in the last provincial budget.
The first was a new $15-million junior high school for the fast-growing community of Stratford, just east of Charlottetown.
Binns announced the school would be built despite the fact that the Eastern School District hadn't yet determined that a new school was needed.
The move startled even staunchly Tory ridings, and was widely seen as an attempt to bribe the voters of Stratford. (If so, the bid failed. The Liberals took both Stratford-Kinlock and Vernon River-Stratford.)
Convention centre feasibility study not done
Binns also trumpeted that the Tories would build a new 1,000-guest convention centre in Charlottetown, with no specific location or pricetag attached.
The announcement was made despite the fact that Tourism Charlottetown and the P.E.I. Convention Partnership had not yet completed a feasibility study on the need for such a centre.
When asked about his party's promises, Binns said he felt the biggest factor in the election was the desire for change.
"I'm not sure there's any one thing that made a difference," he said, in reference to the Stratford school promise.
"I think the change factor was really a big one. People had really decided it was time for a change."
Liberals posed strong challenge
At the same time, Binns was dealing with a revived Liberal party under the leadership of the 33-year-old Ghiz, son of well-liked former premier Joe Ghiz.
The Conservative campaign always seemed to be reacting rather than taking charge.
The timing of the election could also have been an error. P.E.I. Conservatives have rarely won in a spring election; they have much better luck in the fall.
"Mr. Binns has just made the biggest mistake of his life," Ghiz said as the campaign kicked off.
At the time of his defeat, Binns was the longest-serving premier in Canada.
'Do not despair,' says Binns
Perhaps recognizing the strength of the urge for change when it begins to take hold, Binns alluded to the next campaign during a concession speech shortly before 9 p.m. AT.
'The turnaround to the next victory will not take that long.'—Pat Binns to campaign supporters
"Let's celebrate our past success and remember we are the longest-serving Progressive Conservative government in the history of Prince Edward Island," he said.
"The turnaround to the next victory will not take that long. Do not despair … Our party will soon rise again."
That chance will come in May 2011, since the Island has adopted fixed election dates starting at that time.
P.E.I. Votes 2007 Headlines »
- P.E.I. tide paints province Liberal red
- P.E.I.'s Liberal party cruised to a surprisingly easy victory in Monday's provincial election, crushing the governing Progressive Conservatives and reversing the seat count from the previous legislative session.
- Hasty promises, desire for change sank P.E.I. Tories
- Pat Binns and his Progressive Conservatives went down to defeat in Monday's Prince Edward Island election, at least in part because of how two campaign promises fed into Islanders' growing appetite for change.
- Liberal wave fails to flood Eastern P.E.I.
- Progressive Conservative candidates picked up all of their handful of successes in the eastern part of Prince Edward Island on Monday, as Liberals swept the rest of the province.
- Liberals sweep crucial districts
- The Liberal party took every key district they needed for victory Monday night, and then some.
- 6 ministers defeated as P.E.I. cabinet trounced
- Six of Pat Binns's cabinet ministers fell and two were re-elected as P.E.I. voters bounced the Progressive Conservative government out of office Monday night.
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