PC leadership candidates face off one final time

With just days to go before P.E.I. Progressive Conservatives begin casting ballots to select a new leader, the two candidates faced off at the Rodd Brudenell Resort for the last of four debates.

"We really need to rebuild our brand as Progressive Conservatives," said Brad Trivers, elected for the first time to the provincial legislature in 2015.

"We need to remind people what being Progressive Conservative really means," Trivers said.

"That's how we're going to rebuild our brand, and how we're going to attract people to the party, and really that's how we're going to win the next election."

Two MLAs in the running

This is the third leadership contest the party has held since the last time it formed government under former leader Pat Binns, whose government was defeated in 2007. Binns was one of about 30 people who attended Wednesday night's debate. The event was also livestreamed.

Competing against Trivers for the job is the MLA who sits next to him in the legislature — James Aylward, first elected in 2011.

"Now is the time to reaffirm your hope in the future and build a better tomorrow for all of us," Aylward told the crowd.

"I'm seeking your mandate to work with all of you to build a caring government that recognizes and responds to the challenges we face."

Different, but the same

At times Trivers, in particular, went to some lengths to point out how his platform and message differ from that of his opponent.

 "The other candidate has called for an inquiry into e-gaming," Trivers said, referring to Aylward's pledge to conduct a review into the province's controversial failed attempt to become a regulator of online gambling.

"That's going to cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars."

Trivers said PCs should be fiscally responsible, and suggested the province's public accounts committee, if allowed to call witnesses, could conduct its own review at little expense.

But other times there was less to differentiate one candidate's position from the other's — especially when they lined up in opposition to initiatives from the federal Liberal government in Ottawa.

In response to proposed changes to taxation for small business owners, Trivers said as premier he would lower provincial small business taxes if Ottawa moves ahead with its plan, while Aylward said he would talk to a tax specialist on Prince Edward Island "to better explain to me the measures that we can put in place to help support our industry, particularly our small business here on P.E.I., if these measures do go through."

No pot for teens, say PC hopefuls

Both candidates also said they had heard concerns about Ottawa's plan to legalize marijuana. Trivers said the legal age of consumption in P.E.I. should be between 21 and 25, while Aylward said it should be 25, citing the opinion of the province's Chief of Mental Health and Addictions Heather Keizer.

"Dr. Keizer was actually asked that question … and she said unequivocally that it should not be consumed by anyone under the age of 25. As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Heather Keizer is currently the expert here on Prince Edward Island so I would go with her recommendation," he said.

The candidates also agreed on the need for year-round ferry service to the Island, with an icebreaker to ensure access during the winter months.

It was one of the last opportunities for the two candidates to win over party members before the first polls open on Saturday.

Voting is being conducted through advance polls and mail-in ballots, with the deadline to request a mail-in ballot already over. At the convention itself, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20, there will be in-person voting starting at 5 p.m. until the convention starts at 7 p.m.

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