Liberal MLA announces intention to run in federal riding of Malpeque

Liberal MLA Heath MacDonald announced Monday he will seek the nomination to run for the federal Liberal party in the riding of Malpeque. 

"The past 18 months have demonstrated the importance of strong federal representation and progressive government in this country," MacDonald said in a media release, "and I believe my proven track record, coupled with my experience and professional background make me the best person to carry the Liberal banner into the next election."

In order to do that MacDonald would have to give up his seat in the provincial legislature. 

MacDonald confirmed in an interview with the CBC that he would give up his provincial seat if he's successful in the federal nomination process.

Under federal legislation, MacDonald can keep his provincial seat up until he files as a federal candidate — so he can keep his seat while pursuing the federal nomination.

No date has been set so far for a nomination meeting. 

Hit to provincial liberals

In the release, MacDonald said he would be looking to meet as many Malpeque residents as possible in the coming weeks.

MacDonald was first elected in 2015 and served as economic development minister and later finance minister in the administration of Wade MacLauchlan.

Longtime Liberal MP for Malpeque Wayne Easter announced last week he would not seek re-election. Easter has represented the riding since 1993, and will retain his seat until the next federal election is called.

The last MLA to resign to run federally was Progressive Conservative Mike Currie, who lost to Lawrence MacAulay in Cardigan in 2011.

MacDonald was once seen as a possible leadership candidate for the provincial Liberals, without a permanent leader since MacLauchlan's resignation following his defeat in the 2019 provincial election.

"At some point I was interested in the [provincial] leadership but as time went on, I actually sent a note to the executives saying that I wasn't interested at this time and then all of a sudden, a couple weeks later, Wayne Easter resigned," MacDonald said. 

MacDonald's resignation would set dominos in motion in provincial politics. It would leave the third-party provincial Liberals, who took six seats in the 2019 election, with a remaining caucus of four.

The cabinet of Dennis King would then have six months to call a byelection to fill the vacancy in the district of Cornwall-Meadowbank.

"We're always ready for a byelection if there is a need for one," King said in an interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. "I would say based on the information today that other parties should be getting ready as well."

MacDonald said his fellow Liberal MLAs are "very, very supportive" of his decision to run for a federal seat.

"The Liberal Party in P.E.I. will be strong again for sure, and if I don't get the nomination. I'll be certainly part of that," MacDonald said.

The PCs took a former Liberal seat in the last provincial byelection, when former cabinet minister Robert Mitchell resigned in 2020. That win gave the Dennis King government a slim majority of 14 of the legislature's 27 seats.

The PCs were also victorious in the deferred election that took place just after the 2019 provincial election, winning the district of Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park.

A former cabinet colleague of MacDonald's has also been nominated to run in the coming federal election.

Doug Currie is set to run in the Charlottetown riding, but the former provincial Liberal cabinet minister is instead running for Erin O'Toole's Conservatives.

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