What exactly happened in Prince Edward Island between 1989 and 2007?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Provincial legislature makeup:

1989 - 30 Liberals, 2 Conservatives
1993 - 31 Liberals, 1 Conservative
1996 - 18 Liberals, 8 Conservatives, 1 NDP
2000 - 26 Conservatives, 1 Liberal
2003 - 23 Conservatives, 4 Liberals
2007 - 23 Liberals, 4 Conservatives

These are the most fluid electoral results I've ever seen. They basically went from having the equivalent of the Massachusetts legislature to Idaho and back again.

[Smid]

Provincial legislature makeup:

1989 - 30 Liberals, 2 Conservatives
1993 - 31 Liberals, 1 Conservative
1996 - 18 Liberals, 8 Conservatives, 1 NDP
2000 - 26 Conservatives, 1 Conservative
2003 - 23 Conservatives, 4 Liberals
2007 - 23 Liberals, 4 Conservatives

These are the most fluid electoral results I've ever seen. They basically went from having the equivalent of the Massachusetts legislature to Idaho and back again.

Assume the second bold is 26 Conservatives, 1 Liberal.

It's pretty strange... I was just taking a look at the federal results over time... prior to 2008, they hadn't elected a Tory since 1984. So from 1988 to 2008, it was a clean sweep at every election to the Grits, but in 1979 it was a clean sweep for the Tories. In the space of nine years from 1979 to 1988, it went from straight Tory to straight Grit, and stayed with the Liberals for the next 20 years.

[minionofmidas]

That's not really the correct analogy.

It's a small place. It's not at all polarized. I guess the Grits fucked things up and the new Tory administration has proved popular.

[Hash]

1996 is in fact 18 PC, 8 Liberals and 1 NDP. The Liberals in power between 1993 and 1996 had unpopular policies and the federal government cut federal equalization payments.

The island's small size and lack of polarization also accentuates any victory, even if narrow in the popular vote. Especially now that they have single-member FPTP.

[Linus Van Pelt]

The main thing is that voters are very homogeneous geographically, so if you go below 40% you're at risk of losing almost all the seats.

[mileslunn]

This can easily be explained for two reasons.  The island is fairly homogenous so votes are fairly evenly distributed across the island, by contrast, most provinces are far more mixed in their voting patterns.  Also both parties are more or less in the centre of the political spectrum so it becomes more about the person than their ideology.  The PCs in Atlantic Canada are more like the PCs were back under Joe Clark and Robert Stanfield, not the present day Conservatives, while the Liberals are fairly centrist like their federal counterparts, not as left wing as they were under Trudeau. 

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Well, they might qualify for some sort of anti-gerrymandering award.

[Hash]

Well, they might qualify for some sort of anti-gerrymandering award.

All of Canada except Saskatchewan's federal constituencies are rather decent in terms of fair constituencies.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Saskatchewan doesn't look too bad. Lots of mostly square districts, nothing like the monstrosities in places like the epic fail hellhole of Florida.

[Verily]

Saskatchewan doesn't look too bad. Lots of mostly square districts, nothing like the monstrosities in places like the epic fail hellhole of Florida.

The districts in Saskatchewan are deviously drawn to divide both major cities across four constituencies each in such a way that prevents the urban electorates of Regina and Saskatoon from electing their preferred (NDP) candidates.



See the two points where four constituencies meet? Those are the city-centers of Saskatoon (NW) and Regina (SE).

[Hatman 🍁]

Well, they might qualify for some sort of anti-gerrymandering award.

Hmm, not quite. Charlottetown is intentionally under-represented in the House.

And, yes, I'm back

[Smid]

And, yes, I'm back

I've missed you!

[minionofmidas]

Filed through that barred window, have you?

[Sewer]

And, yes, I'm back

I've missed you!