PEI

Rob Lantz election loss left P.E.I. PC Party without a road map

The P.E.I. Progressive Conservative Party is considering updating its constitution to better deal with the situation when a leader fails to win a seat.

Party constitution has no provision for leader losing seat

Rob Lantz announced his resignation as leader of the P.E.I. Progressive Conservative Party on Wednesday. (CBC)

The P.E.I. Progressive Conservative Party is considering updating its constitution to better deal with the situation when a leader fails to win a seat.

The news comes a day after Rob Lantz stepped down as party leader. Lantz became leader in February but failed to win a seat in the May election.

"It is kind of an unusual circumstance where the leader loses his seat, so I think the party will have to look at its constitution and maybe update it to deal with situations like that," party vice-president Pat Banks told CBC's Island Morning on Thursday.

"If a leader loses his seat, there's no provision. The leadership review can't be for a year after the loss of the election, so I think there might have to be some changes made there."

P.E.I. PC Party president Pat Banks told Island Morning host Matt Rainnie the party needs some provision for what happens when a leader doesn't win a seat. (CBC)

Banks said the party has a number of options to consider.

"It could possibly be that you could move the leadership up sooner or if a leader loses his seat then he is automatically let go kind of thing."

The party executive and caucus will name an interim leader before the party's annual meeting on Oct. 24.

It's not clear when the caucus and executive will decide how a new permanent leader will be selected.