Direct Democracy

The beliefs and values of the Island Party of Prince Edward Island are based on the principles of direct democracy, meaning that every Islander must have a voice regarding the social and economic future of their province.

Full citizen participation in governance cannot simply be achieved by voting every four years (or whenever a provincial election is called) but through direct democracy, whose three main pillars are:

  • Recall

  • Referendum

  • Citizen Initiative

Recall Legislation

Under the current political system, the only recourse the people have with regards to dismissing MLAs is during an election. Elected representatives are in fact employees of Islanders. In any company, those who fail to do their job properly, or who commit unethical or illegal acts can be terminated and even face legal consequences. It is for this reason that the Island Party of Prince Edward Island is committed to ensuring that Islanders have the tools to hold their MLAs accountable, one of the most powerful being recall legislation.  MLAs who commit serious ethics violations or who fail to fulfill promises can be recalled, and will subsequently be stripped of all salaries, pensions, and severance. Recall Legislation will enable the constituents of a riding to hold a byelection to dismiss MLAs.

Referendums vs Plebiscites

The lack of an ability for the electorate to have the final say in important political matters is an affront to democracy. In recent years, Islanders have voiced their concerns about various pieces of legislation via plebiscites which in reality were little more than non legally – binding opinion polls, as the government of the time pushed planned legislation through regardless of the will of the people. An Island Party government will enshrine a provincial constitution that gives Islanders the right to hold binding referendums, which will be protected by the courts, ensuring that they, and not MLAs, decide the final outcome of major legislation.

Citizen Initiative 

Citizen initiative is a process of a participatory democracy that empowers the people to propose legislation and to enact or reject the laws at the polls independent of the lawmaking power of the governing body. Any Islander who collects a certain number of signatures on a petition which is then presented to the Provincial Legislature can compel the government to put forth a motion to introduce a particular bill or repeal a law.