More hugs, less heckling: Minority government, P.E.I.-style

To hear P.E.I.'s first minority premier describe the situation, Justin Trudeau was provided a great gift from Canadian voters when they gave the Liberals the opportunity to form a minority government following Monday's election.

"The greatest gift I've been given as premier is to work within a minority system because it gives you [the] opportunity to have broader viewpoints, make better legislation and better decisions for the people you serve," King said. 

On June 20 the King government became the first minority in Island history to pass a confidence motion, when both the Greens and Liberals supported government's throne speech. 

P.E.I., New Brunswick, B.C. and Newfoundland and Labrador are all currently operating without a majority government.

Requires 'attitude change,' less partisanship

While P.E.I.'s minority is only six months old, King did offer some advice on how federal politicians might make the situation work for Canadians.

"It requires a bit of an attitude change and adjustment where you have to wake up and you have to stop worrying and wondering what is best for a certain party or colour of party and you put the interests of Canadians and in our case Islanders first," King said. 

"Stop focusing so much on the divisions and focus more on what unites us."

Ministers told to consult opposition

King made a point of seeking input from both opposition parties in the P.E.I. Legislature on his government's throne speech and its first budget.

In mandate letters sent out earlier this month, King advised each of his cabinet ministers that a "new co-operative approach is critical to the success of our government," and told each to ensure Green and Liberal MLAs "are appropriately consulted on major issues and legislation."

During the only sitting of the legislature since the election, King voiced his support for a bill put forward by the Green Party to set a more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for the province.

That legislation passed with unanimous support from the Greens and the Liberals, and with some votes from a divided PC caucus.

An end to heckling

On the first day of debate under the new legislature, all parties supported a motion to end the practice of heckling.

Opposition leader Peter Bevan-Baker of the Green Party said P.E.I.'s minority situation "has led to some really positive changes to how we govern on behalf of all Islanders."

A successful minority parliament "requires an intentional, active, and meaningful desire to work co-operatively," Bevan-Baker said, along with "high levels of trust and a large dash of humility."

He said it's not clear yet whether federal leaders have the qualities required to operate in a similar fashion.

Federal campaign was no 'nice-off'

P.E.I.'s spring election campaign — at one point described as a "nice-off" — was a far cry from the bitter federal campaign that just ended, but King said he still thinks federal parties will be able to find common ground "once the temperature dials down on the national level."

Throughout P.E.I.'s campaign, parties took few shots at one another. During the televised debate, the four leaders were more likely to compliment one another's ideas than denounce them. A video of King hugging Bevan-Baker the day after the election went viral.

Don Desserud, a UPEI political science professor, said it's yet to be determined whether the spirit of co-operation in P.E.I.'s minority legislature will last. But he said Trudeau would do well to try to emulate it.

Desserud said King's directive to his ministers to consult opposition parties is evidence of "a way of maintaining relationships, and maintaining that kind of collegiality that is essential under a minority government."

No mandate for federal Liberals, says prof

He suggested Trudeau's election night victory speech, in which the leader said voters had given his party "a clear mandate," might have carried the wrong tone.

By contrast, in his victory speech King talked about a message from Island voters that politicians put partisanship aside and learn to work together.

"That might be the kind of language that Justin Trudeau has to adopt as opposed to what seems to be coming out now, which is basically that he has this mandate from the people, which quite frankly he does not," said Desserud.

On Wednesday, Trudeau spoke with reporters for the first time after the election and struck a more conciliatory tone.

"Canadians gave me a lot to think about on Monday night as they returned us in government, but with a clear requirement to work with other parties," Trudeau said. 

"I'm going to take the time necessary to really reflect on how best to serve Canadians and how to work with those other parties."

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