PC Party bringing leadership race to Island communities this summer

With two candidates vying for the Progressive Conservative Party of P.E.I. leadership, the party's interim president says the plan moving ahead into the summer and fall is to bring the race to the Island's communities and to the party's membership and district associations.

Margaret Anne Walsh said there are about five or six events planned across the Island this summer and three formal leadership debates in the fall in Bloomfield, Summerside and Charlottetown.

So far, Brad Trivers, MLA for Rustico-Emerald and Stratford-Kinlock MLA James Aylwardare running, but there could be more candidates. The deadline to enter the leadership race is Aug. 18.

Walsh said the party has a leadership search committee that is still actively meeting with people weekly that are thinking about entering the race. Even so, she said that the party is happy with the two candidates that are already in the race.

'Appetite for change'

The leadership convention is set to take place Oct. 20. Walsh explained there won't be any voting at the convention. Instead, voting will take place through advanced and mail-in preferential ballots. The party will announce its new leader at the convention, she said.

"We have memberships pouring in every day. I think that there is a real appetite for change and the public on P.E.I. are turning to us to put forward a very solid team and a solid leader and a solid plan going forward," she said.

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