Robert Ghiz
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Robert Ghiz, MLA (born January 21, 1974, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) is a Canadian politician. He is the son of former Premier of Prince Edward Island Joe Ghiz.
Ghiz grew up in Charlottetown and later attended Bishop's University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in political science. After graduating from university, he then went to Ottawa to work as a political aide for Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps before becoming a lobbyist for the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1998. In 2001 Ghiz joined the office of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien where he served as Atlantic Canada advisor before leaving to run for leader of the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island in 2003. Ghiz relocated to Prince Edward Island in the fall of 2002 while still working for the Prime Minister's Office raised eyebrows, with some critics suggesting that Ghiz was using his job to further his own political ambitions while reestablishing legal residency in the province.
In 2003 Ghiz narrowly defeated former provincial Health Minister Alan Buchanan for the leadership of the party and went on to win a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island in the 2003 provincial election. The MLA for Charlottetown-Rochford Square is currently leader of the opposition in the legislature. Should Ghiz, like his father, become premier it would be the second time in the history of Prince Edward Island that a father-son team both became premier; the others are Thane Campbell (1936-1943) and his son Alexander B. Campbell (1966-1978).
Since becoming leader, Ghiz has struggled to match the personal popularity of PC leader Pat Binns, even when the Liberals led the PCs in opinion polls. Ghiz's leadership has also been marked by internal party strife, most notably an ongoing legal dispute stemming from Ghiz's decision to reject the nomination of one of his party's candidates, Larry McGuire, following a controversial nomination speech.
| Preceded by Ron MacKinley (interim) |
PEI Liberal Leader 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Jeff Lantz, Progressive Conservative |
MLA for Charlottetown-Rochford Square 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Ron MacKinley |
Leader of the Opposition 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
