These 1st time voters are aiming for change on P.E.I.

Two Islanders who are voting for the first time in a provincial election say they're excited to have the opportunity to make an impact this election.

Amy MacNeill and Janet Bernabe both earned the right to vote in 2020 — MacNeill because she turned 18 and Bernabe because she became a Canadian citizen after moving here 10 years ago. 

Both voted in the 2021 federal election, but say they feel a closer connection to this provincial vote.

"I know that I am voting for … one who sees and experiences and understands the condition we are at, the problems we are facing,"  said Barnabe.

MacNeill said she feels like her vote matters more in a provincial election.

"When you're voting towards the federal election you don't have a lot of weight, considering P.E.I. only has four seats in the House of Commons," she said.

"Here you feel like you're making an actual change."

Frustrations with health care

High on the agenda for both, as with many Islanders this election, is health care.

Both are concerned about a shortage of working health professionals on the Island, particularly when there are health professionals in the province who can't work because their credentials aren't recognized in Canada.

"I work with one who's a heart surgeon, and he can't [practice]," said MacNeill.

"That's very frustrating as we need those people very badly."

Barnabe was a dentist in the Philippines. She can't work as a dentist here, but has found a job in a dental office.

But she knows there are other Filipino health professionals on the Island who are working outside of the health system.

'The price of housing is absolutely insane'

Barnabe is a member of the Filipino Community Board of Prince Edward Island, so she has a close connection to the concerns of the community.

"One of the issues that we always encounter for international students or people moving here is the issue of housing. [Homes] are hard to find and it's very expensive," she said.

It's a major issue for MacNeill as well as she looks ahead to her future on P.E.I.

"My family's all from here, and I want to be able to start a family, buy a house, have health care for the kids I may have in the future," said MacNeill.

"Things need to change, like more family doctors, lower ER times, the price of housing is absolutely insane. We need to change that."

Islanders head to the polls on April 3.