Some Assembly Required: PEI Democracy Turns 250

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Governor of St. John’s Island (present day Prince Edward Island) scraped together the only 18 men in the colony he deemed potentially “respectable representatives” for its first elected Assembly. Over the course of two days, they passed 13 pieces of legislation – including retroactively approving actions the Governor had taken over the past three years and an act that required getting the Governor’s approval before anyone could leave the island. It was an inauspicious start to PEI’s democracy, but it did pave the way for what would become a thriving province. In this article, the author traces the earliest days of democracy in PEI.

Sean McQuaid

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