New P.E.I. premier hopes to be ‘steady hand’ for province

Prince Edward Island Premier Bloyce Thompson sits down for a year-end interview with Todd Battis.

Less than three weeks before the end of 2025, Bloyce Thompson found himself with a new job: the 35^th premier of Prince Edward Island.

On top of that position, Thompson held onto his role as minister of Agriculture and Justice. He also took on new duties as the new minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs and Indigenous Relations.

“It’s a long title, for sure,” Thompson told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis during a year-end interview. “When this all took place, I felt it was best if I kept these portfolios. I’m quite comfortable with them.”

Thompson was sworn in as premier on Dec. 19, one day after Rob Lantz stepped down from the role to run for the province’s Progressive Conservative Party’s leadership role. A vote for that position will be held on Feb. 7, 2026.

“Islanders want a steady hand,” Thompson said. “It will be a seamless transition for the next 60 days.

“I’ve got a great team around me that I’m going to lean on a lot in a short period of time.”

Thompson is P.E.I.’s third premier in a year. Former premier Dennis King resigned last February after six years on the job.

When asked if Islanders could expect to head to the polls next spring, Thompson said there will “definitely be an election before October 2027.”

Deficit

On Dec. 18, P.E.I. reported its forecasted deficit for the 2025-2026 fiscal year has increased by $183.4 million to a total of $367.4 million. The government cited growing expenditures in health care, social programs, enhanced educational resources and agricultural insurance claims related to extreme weather.

“The investments had to be made in health and education,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of catchup in health care. We were behind so we had to make those investments.

“We have to focus on our economy to invest in Islanders.”

Energy

Thompson noted his government is focused on affordability and energy. He said Lantz previously spoke with Prime Minister Mark Carney about undersea cables for energy security.

“We want to make sure we have reliable and affordable energy,” he said. “Undersea cables are going to help secure our economy as we grow as an island.”

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Natalie Lombard

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