Chris van Ouwerkerk uncontested as Green Party nominee for Charlottetown-Winsloe byelection
Nomination meeting will still go forward on Tuesday
P.E.I.'s Green Party will hold its nomination meeting Tuesday evening for the Charlottetown-Winsloe byelection.
Nominations closed at noon Sunday.
Businessman Chris van Ouwerkerk will advance to the nomination meeting at the Irish Cultural Centre. The Greens will also offer a "no candidate" option on the ballot Tuesday.
Green Party acting president Susan Hartley said number of people expressed interest in running, but van Ouwerkerk was the only one to complete the process.
'We're excited," Hartley said. "He brings a lot of experience and credentials and a great personality."
Three other parties announced their candidates on Saturday. Zack Bell will be on the ballot for Progressive Conservatives, Zac Murphy for the Liberals and Lynne Thiele for the NDP.
The byelection has not yet been called, but is expected soon. Former Liberal MLA Robert Mitchell held the seat until his resignation last month.
The PCs currently hold a minority government, with 13 seats. The Greens have eight and the Liberals five. A win for the PCs would give the party 14 seats in the 27-seat legislature, a slim majority.
Federal Greens pick new leader
It was a busy weekend for the federal Green Party as well.
It picked Toronto lawyer Annamie Paul as its next leader, bringing to a close the year-long race to replace Elizabeth May. The leadership convention was supposed to be held in Charlottetown, but had to be held in a virtual space due to COVID-19.
Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnamiePaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnnamiePaul</a> on becoming the new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gpcldr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gpcldr</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GPCLeadership?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GPCLeadership</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/peipoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#peipoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NouveauDepart?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NouveauDepart</a> <a href="https://t.co/7wQAx0lMpI">pic.twitter.com/7wQAx0lMpI</a>
—@peterbevanbakerIn a tweet Saturday night, P.E.I. Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker congratulated Paul and said he was looking forward to working with her.