FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2025
Statement from Matt MacFarlane on Premier Lantz proroguing the legislature and how Islanders can’t afford a government that stands still
Charlottetown, PE – On Friday lslanders learned that the first action of the new Lantz government was to unilaterally prorogue the legislature — just days before it was set to begin its spring sitting. This decision shuts down the only venue where Islanders can hear their government defend its actions and explain its plans on critical issues such as healthcare, housing, our challenged electrical grid, and the looming threat of devastating U.S. tariffs.
With the spring budget now also delayed as a result of Premier Lantz’s proroguing, uncertainty spreads across multiple sectors that depend on knowing where they stand financially. Important legislative committee work has also been halted. Simply put, the business of the legislature has come to a standstill at a time when Islanders can least afford it.
Premier Lantz has been a member of cabinet and at the decision-making table for two years. He should already be up to speed on the key issues facing our province and ready to return to the legislature with his cabinet ministers to explain to Islanders the road ahead. Shutting down the legislature to “get up to speed” is not an acceptable excuse. With the support of his cabinet, advisors, senior civil servants, and government resources, he should be ready to lead without bringing the work of the legislature to a halt.
What’s especially alarming is that U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods are set to be implemented on March 4 — mere days from now. If this government does not already have a plan to mitigate the potential economic damage, that is a failure of every Minister at the Cabinet table. Now is the time to come to the legislature, address Islanders directly, and present a clear strategy. The stakes are too high for inaction.
Islanders expect certainty, leadership, and action. They deserve a government that is working — not one that is standing still.
Matt MacFarlane
MLA Borden-Kinkora
-30-
For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Rankin
Chief of Staff
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 213-6378
Email: kerankin@assembly.pe.ca