For generations dating back long before the first European settlement in Prince Edward Island, residents of Abegweit, or ‘Cradle on the Waves’ have had a very close relationship with the land and soil of this beautiful island, always striving to protect the land and the surrounding natural environment. So strong was this rapport between Islanders and the soil (one of our province’s most precious resources) that in 1982, then Premier J. Angus MacLean instilled the Lands Protection Act (LPA), a ground-breaking piece of legislation designed to protect PEI land from being gobbled up by corporate and private interests. 

Sadly, in recent decades, various provincial governments have ignored not only the letter of the Lands Protection Act but the spirit and intent of the legislation as envisioned by Premier MacLean by allowing large agricultural interests and investors to circumvent the regulations (which explicitly state that corporations are limited to 3,000 acres and individuals 1,000 acres) contained within the act by way of loopholes. As to be expected, this blatant neglection to enforce the LPA has inadvertently affected young farmers wanting to acquire more land by limiting the supply, therefore driving up prices. 

The Island Party of Prince Edward Island is committed to fully enforcing the LPA and closing all loopholes, which allow corporations to skirt the regulations by various means, including numbered companies. Furthermore, the Island Party will initiate a complete review of the LPA, including regulations surrounding private investment of and/or speculation of crucial Island farmland by both domestic and international investors. 

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