TIGNISH – Liberals in District 27, Tignish-Palmer Road, have chosen incumbent MLA Hal Perry to be their candidate in the next provincial election. Perry won the nomination Tuesday night over former Liberal cabinet minister Neil LeClair.

Forty months ago, Perry, running as a Progressive Conservative, unseated LeClair in a provincial election. He crossed the floor to the Liberals two years later.

On Tuesday night, Liberals of the district demonstrated they accepted Perry as their representative. He received the majority of the 282 ballots cast but the actual vote count was not revealed.

PROVINCIAL ELECTION CANDIDATES

“This is empowering,” Perry responded. “I can move mountains now, knowing I have the support of the membership.”

The meeting at the Tignish Parish Centre attracted more than 400 people, including 18 sitting Liberal MLAs, the party’s new premier, Wade MacLauchlan and former PC leader Olive Crane.

Robert Vessey who resigned his seat last weekend to take over as the new premier’s chief of staff was also in attendance along with some candidates seeking Liberal nominations.

Prior to the ballots being counted, both MacLauchlan and Egmont Liberal federal candidate, Robert Morrissey, urged the membership to leave the hall united.

LeClair, for his part, said he is fine with the outcome.

“Any election, when there are someone competing, there is always going to be a winner and a loser. Definitely the people in the room spoke. That’s who they want to represent them and I’m fine with that.”

In his speech to the membership prior to voting, Perry addressed his crossing the floor head-on.

“We all have a different journey. Sometimes one may stray, but eventually we come home,” he said to a few chuckles.

“I didn’t knock on your doors and ask to be your voice to have someone in Charlottetown put a muzzle on me,” he said in reference to his expressed dismay with the provincial Progressive Conservatives and his claim he was not being permitted to tackle the area’s Employment Insurance concerns with the federal Conservative government.

“I stood up for the people of my district, and I will always be your voice.”

He spoke of his Liberal roots and dreaming as a child of a political life of service.

Perry acknowledged LeClair in both of his trips to the microphone.

“Competition is healthy, and, regardless of the outcome we have to move forward together to make sure this district remains red,” he said during his speech to voters, and later, during his acceptance speech he thanked the former cabinet minister for his years of service.

Perry said his pledge to the district is to “continue to be an active, community-minded volunteer, to advocate on issues that are important to our communities and, most importantly, be accessible to everyone.”

TIGNISH – Liberals in District 27, Tignish-Palmer Road, have chosen incumbent MLA Hal Perry to be their candidate in the next provincial election. Perry won the nomination Tuesday night over former Liberal cabinet minister Neil LeClair.

Forty months ago, Perry, running as a Progressive Conservative, unseated LeClair in a provincial election. He crossed the floor to the Liberals two years later.

On Tuesday night, Liberals of the district demonstrated they accepted Perry as their representative. He received the majority of the 282 ballots cast but the actual vote count was not revealed.

PROVINCIAL ELECTION CANDIDATES

“This is empowering,” Perry responded. “I can move mountains now, knowing I have the support of the membership.”

The meeting at the Tignish Parish Centre attracted more than 400 people, including 18 sitting Liberal MLAs, the party’s new premier, Wade MacLauchlan and former PC leader Olive Crane.

Robert Vessey who resigned his seat last weekend to take over as the new premier’s chief of staff was also in attendance along with some candidates seeking Liberal nominations.

Prior to the ballots being counted, both MacLauchlan and Egmont Liberal federal candidate, Robert Morrissey, urged the membership to leave the hall united.

LeClair, for his part, said he is fine with the outcome.

“Any election, when there are someone competing, there is always going to be a winner and a loser. Definitely the people in the room spoke. That’s who they want to represent them and I’m fine with that.”

In his speech to the membership prior to voting, Perry addressed his crossing the floor head-on.

“We all have a different journey. Sometimes one may stray, but eventually we come home,” he said to a few chuckles.

“I didn’t knock on your doors and ask to be your voice to have someone in Charlottetown put a muzzle on me,” he said in reference to his expressed dismay with the provincial Progressive Conservatives and his claim he was not being permitted to tackle the area’s Employment Insurance concerns with the federal Conservative government.

“I stood up for the people of my district, and I will always be your voice.”

He spoke of his Liberal roots and dreaming as a child of a political life of service.

Perry acknowledged LeClair in both of his trips to the microphone.

“Competition is healthy, and, regardless of the outcome we have to move forward together to make sure this district remains red,” he said during his speech to voters, and later, during his acceptance speech he thanked the former cabinet minister for his years of service.

Perry said his pledge to the district is to “continue to be an active, community-minded volunteer, to advocate on issues that are important to our communities and, most importantly, be accessible to everyone.”