Interim Liberal leader prioritizes health and housing for P.E.I. in 2024

Hal Perry is no stranger to serving Prince Edward Islanders, but it's probably fair to say that became a bigger part of his job in 2023. 

The Tignish-Palmer Road MLA, who famously serves as a New Year's Eve designated driver for his constituents, became the P.E.I. Liberal Party's interim leader in April. 

He's also the leader of the Official Opposition thanks to the Liberals edging past the Green Party with three seats in the provincial legislature — held by Perry, Robert Henderson and Gord McNeilly — to the Greens' two in the April general election.

The Liberal party's leader at the time, Sharon Cameron, did not win a seat and stepped down. 

Perry said it's been challenging, but he feels it is "a tremendous honour" to be Opposition leader. 

"It is a heavier weight, but I do appreciate that Islanders feel comfortable enough to come to me and discuss the issues that are impacting their homes and their individual selves," he told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin during a year-end interview on Thursday. 

When he accepted the interim leadership, Perry said he didn't want the permanent job — and as the year draws to a close, he hasn't changed his mind.  

"Absolutely not. I never had any aspirations for it," he said. "I love being the MLA for Tignish-Palmer Road and that gives me the greatest joy in life." 

Official Opposition

The Liberals returned to Opposition after the Greens became the only third different party in P.E.I. history to earn that status in the 2019 election. 

Although the governing Progressive Conservatives' 22 seats dwarf those held by both opposition parties, Perry said the Liberal caucus is taking the role no less seriously. 

We want to make sure that the resources and the supports are in place for when the new leader comes along.— Hal Perry

"I've been in opposition before, so I know the role of it… is to hold government to account for the decisions they make, or lack thereof, so we've had plenty to work with this year," he said.

"It's advocating for the people and understanding the challenges they have. That can be, at times, a tremendous load, but we have a very capable caucus." 

Rebuilding the party 

The Liberals still face a road of recovery if the party wants to form a government again. That was last the case under Wade MacLauchlan from 2015 to 2019.  

Perry said the first steps will be solidifying candidates in each district in preparation for selecting a new leader. 

He said a date for that leadership vote will likely be set at the party's annual general meeting, expected in April or May of 2024. 

"Our focus is to ensure that all districts are organized at the grassroots level. We want to make sure that the resources and the supports are in place for when the new leader comes along [so] they can just slip into place and put their stamp on policy and on the party," Perry said. 

Holding government to its health and housing promises

Perry and the Liberals have consistently used the term "do-nothing government" to describe Premier Dennis King and the PCs. 

The interim Liberal leader said he notices the least amount of movement on the issues of health care and housing. 

"There [are] 36,000 people right now on the Patient Registry list. They promised people during the campaign that they were going to fix health care — it's getting worse," said Perry.

"I don't see any path forward for helping those individuals who either have a mental health or substance abuse issue. To me, that matters." 

He sees little improvement on P.E.I.'s low vacancy rate for rental housing as another stumbling block for the government. 

"How are young families ever going to find a place to live? How are young families ever going to afford a new home?" Perry said. 

"We need to put more people into homes faster. We have that legislation… on the table for discussion [in 2024], and we plan to bring more." 

Divide and conquer

Rather than move the controversial Community Outreach Centre in Charlottetown to a new location, Perry would rather see its services split up. 

The provincial government wants to relocate the centre from Euston Street to Park Street, but needs Charlottetown council to vote in favour of the move. 

Perry said the centre should be split into more than one facility because of the diverse array of services it offers. 

"You would never send somebody that was trying to receive support to get off drugs, let's say, to a place where they openly use drugs. It's ridiculous," he said. "So these services have to be separated."

He suggested closing the centre as it currently operates and bringing in public service health professionals to provide support while the province comes up with a new plan. 

Perry said moving the centre to Park Street, the location of the city's overnight emergency shelters, is akin to creating a "compound" that won't be suitable for everyone who uses either service. 

"When someone's homeless, that doesn't mean that they have a substance abuse issue, it doesn't mean they aren't working. You can't put all these people in the same compound and expect to solve the problems. You have to hit each one head-on in an individual manner," he said.

"Park Street is not an ideal location, because all they're doing is kicking the problem that they presently have with the outreach centre down the road, literally." 

Our other 2023 year-end interviews: