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CHARLOTTETOWN — Some members of Prince Edward Island’s ruling Progressive Conservatives are trying to oust Premier Rob Lantz by triggering a confidence vote less than a year after he officially became party leader.
The potential leadership challenge comes on the eve of a general election scheduled for 2027, as recent polls suggest the Tories are trailing the provincial Green and Liberal parties.
Lantz led the party after former premier Dennis King stepped down last year. Then, in February, he won a two-way leadership race with just over half the vote to become the permanent leader.
But longtime PC party member and well-known entrepreneur Martie Murphy says the Lantz government has lost the trust of Islanders and that he should be removed as leader before the next election.
To that end, Murphy has submitted a petition requesting a special meeting of party members to hold a secret ballot vote on whether Lantz should step down.
The request calls for a discussion of the Progressive Conservative association leadership then a vote for members to “express its confidence or lack thereof” in the current party leader.
Murphy said her core motivations are the government’s waning popularity, growing provincial debt, the crisis in health care and ethics concerns tied to an ongoing RCMP investigation into PC campaign funds.
“It’s a fight for the party. It’s a fight for our province and the electorate,” Murphy said. “It is a fight for a better government, better decision making.”
Murphy, who says she has been PC party member for most of her life, owns a construction company in Lethbridge, Alta., and is a co-owner of D.P. Murphy, which owns and operates several fast food restaurants on the Island.
For his part, Lantz in a statement confirmed he has been made aware of the petition for a special meeting.
He noted that, under the party’s constitution, it only takes 75 signatures to compel the special meeting out of more than 7,200 total members.
“Our party values the voice of every member. My understanding is that the party is now verifying the authenticity of the petition, and I will respect that process and allow it to run its course,” Lantz said.
“In the meantime, my focus remains on the work of government and the priorities of the people of this province and returning to the legislature tomorrow with a full legislative agenda.”
Robert Larsen, president of the PC party association, confirmed he had received the petition and that the party was seeking legal advice to ensure they proceed in a manner that respects the rights of party members and the party’s constitution.
“As such, the party will communicate directly with its membership on next steps, that respect the constitution, when appropriate,” Larsen added in a statement.
Brendan Curran, a Progressive Conservative backbencher in the provincial legislature, told The Canadian Press that he wasn’t aware that any current legislators had signed the petition.
Meanwhile, RCMP in P.E.I. said last month they charged an official agent for the Progressive Conservatives with 42 offences under the provincial Election Expenses Act.
The Mounties say the alleged offences relate to donations made last year that violated the Election Expenses Act or were not reported in accordance with the legislation.
Don Desserud, longtime political analysis and professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, says that any turmoil in the governing party presents an opportunity for oppositions parties that are ready for an election.
“It helps both parties,” he said in reference to the official Opposition Liberals, who elected former Summerside mayor Dan Kutcher as their new leader last month, and the third-place provincial Greens.
Murphy, however, said in an interview that she believes in Progressive Conservative party values and wants them to win.
A Narrative Research poll in October that surveyed 150 people online found that the Tories were in third place, behind the provincial Greens and Liberals. The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
Desserud says he doubts it is possible for the Progressive Conservatives to have a Mark Carney-like revival and hold on to government with a new leader.
“Normally what happens is that this just makes things even worse and it does not encourage the public to support the party,” he added.
“The argument that will be made by the opposition over and over and over again will be ‘can you get their own act together? How can they govern the province?”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.
Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press
