P.E.I. premier won’t run for leadership role in next election

The new premier of P.E.I. Rob Lantz discusses tariffs, the federal election and more.

At some point in the next two years, the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island will elect a new leader, but current Premier Rob Lantz will not be one of the people running for the position.

“I’ll not be throwing my hat in that ring,” Lantz told CTV News Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko during an interview on Monday.

The next P.E.I. election is scheduled for Oct. 4, 2027.

Lantz has been premier for a little more than a month, taking over for Dennis King on Feb. 21. Lantz previously served as the leader of the Conservatives in 2015, but resigned after failing to win the election that year.

Lantz was elected to represent the Charlottetown-Brighton riding in 2023. He has served as minister of Housing, Land and Communities, and Education and Early Years.

Lantz, who is now the 34th premier of P.E.I., prorogued the legislative assembly after he was sworn in. It returned last week and Lantz delivered a throne speech that focused on the economy and the ongoing trade war with the United States.

“The problem is all the uncertainty that surrounds this,” Lantz told Frisko. “Donald Trump seems to change his mind from day to day. It’s hard to measure what the impact is going to be.”

Lantz said his government is drafting legislation to reduce interprovincial trade barriers that mirrors a bill the Nova Scotia government introduced – and amended – earlier this year.

The P.E.I. government plans to introduce the bill in the legislative assembly in the coming weeks.

“There has been a lot of discussion around this,” Lantz said. “We all recognize the need to take action. We realize that we need to focus on expanding global trade.”

Despite the tariff dispute with the United States, Lantz is hopeful American tourists will come to P.E.I. in droves this year.

“We’ll probably have a healthy return of American visitors,” he said. “We’re going to roll out the red carpet for them, show them the same hospitality we always have and send them back to the United States as ambassadors for Canada.”

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