Wade MacLauchlan nominated in district, calls election
MacLauchlan last Liberal nominated for May 4 election
Wade MacLauchlan has been nominated in his district, and used the event to call a provincial election May 4.
ON MOBILE?
MacLauchlan took the opportunity in his acceptance speech to introduce what he called the pillars of the Liberal campaign: people, prosperity, and engagement.
MacLauchlan spent some time reviewing what the Liberal government of the last eight years has accomplished.
On the economic front, he cited the creation of 7,000 jobs and noted P.E.I. business confidence is the highest in the country.
He said 94 per cent of Islanders have access to a family physician, compared to a Canadian average of 84 per cent, and on the education front he said Prince Edward Island was ranked first in Canada for its investment in early childhood education.
MacLauchlan said the Liberal campaign would continue to emphasize the positive.
"One of the key features of our Liberal campaign in the coming election will be to resist the negativity of other parties," he said.
"Everything they have to say is negative, backward-looking, and appears to be made up on the fly."
Party candidates introduced
In atypical fashion for a district nomination meeting, the evening began with the introduction of all the Liberal party candidates.
After the introductions, the meeting moved on to the business of the nomination itself. The nomination was moved by Della Parker and seconded by Eddie Reardon.
The election announcement came as no surprise to anyone. Progressive Conservative Leader Rob Lantz said earlier on Monday his party was already in full election mode, and he welcomes the start of the official campaign.
"[I] feel pretty good, so let's get it done," Lantz said before the official call.
"Let's get this underway, we've dilly dallied a little too long here I think. Nobody, you know, six months ago envisioned us campaigning through an early spring election with mounds of snow, such as it is. But here we are. It's time to get this over with."
The Progressive Conservatives will officially launch their campaign Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.