FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2026
Green bill to make PEI’s energy system accountable, reliable, and affordable voted down by PC government
Charlottetown, PE – Today the PC majority government voted down a Green Party bill that would make electricity rates affordable for Islanders and hold Maritime Electric accountable for its rate increases and performance.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that the PC government voted against making electricity more affordable for Islanders. Once again, this government sided with Maritime Electric and made the choice to continue downloading energy costs onto Islanders,” said Peter Bevan-Baker, Green Critic for Energy. “Islanders deserve better from their government. Islanders deserve a government that has the courage and vision to be an energy leader.”
The bill, which amends the Electric Power Act, would hold Maritime Electric accountable for service quality and reliability. It would create a performance-based regulatory framework, mandate industry-standard targets and benchmarks related to interruptions of electricity provided to Islanders, and would require that cheaper alternatives be considered before major investments are made by the electric utility. Furthermore, the bill would introduce a service performance incentive scheme that would incentivize reliability and would penalize the utility for reasonably avoidable interruptions.
“Premier Lantz has failed Islanders. He repeatedly promised that tackling our energy system would be his number one priority this sitting. Yet when presented with the opportunity to support a bill that would help Islanders who are struggling to pay their electricity bills, he and his caucus chose politics over people,” said Matt MacFarlane, Leader of the Green Party of PEI.
While Premier Lantz remains distracted by his PC government’s internal chaos, the Green Party caucus will continue to focus on making positive change and standing up for Islanders.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Rankin
Chief of Staff
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 213-6378
Email: kerankin@assembly.pe.ca