LaVie, Perry vie for Speaker position in P.E.I. Legislature

The new sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature will begin on Thursday with the election of a Speaker.

Two candidates are running for the position — Progressive Conservative Colin LaVie and Liberal Hal Perry.

"The one thing we all have to realize is that all members of this legislature get to pick who the Speaker is and it appears they have two choices," said Premier Dennis King.

A rare moment 

Having an election for a Speaker is rare — when Buck Watts was chosen in 2015, it was the first election for Speaker on P.E.I. in 18 years.

For democracy to work it has to breathe.- Premier Dennis King

But it's even more unique on the Island to have a Speaker come from an opposition party.

The clerk's office is currently looking through its archives to determine whether there has ever been a Speaker in the legislature from an opposition party.

King said the Progressive Conservatives have no plans to whip the vote.

"We weighed all of the pros and cons and at the end of the day we really all felt comfortable that … for democracy to work it has to breathe," he said.

'Anxious and excited'

"I think everybody is free to make this decision. It's a secret ballot vote and it's going to be exciting to see how it turns out," King said.

MLAs will be sworn in at a private ceremony in the morning. The premier is one of 11 rookie MLAs getting ready for the sitting.

"I'm probably like many of the of the new members. I'm equal parts excited, anxious, looking forward to getting going, to see how things go and getting down to getting the business of the province officially underway in the legislature," he said.

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