Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly, Tuesday 19 May 2026
On May 19, 2026, the PEI Legislative Assembly opened with statements recognizing World Family Doctor Day, Paramedic Services Week, Holland College graduations, the Summerside Western Capitals' Centennial Cup run, the passing of Robert K. Irving, and young actress Morgan Saunders, along with members' concerns about affordability, health care, and children's services. Members tabled numerous documents, and the House devoted substantial time in Committee of the Whole to the Supplementary Estimates, where the Minister of Finance and official Jordan McNally answered detailed questions on special warrants, leading to first and second reading and committee passage of Bill 27, the Supplementary Appropriation Act 2026. The House then considered the main Estimates for Health PEI, including Community Specialty Services, Home Care, Long-term Care, private nursing homes, and Mental Health and Addiction Services. Additionally, Bill 103, An Act to Amend the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, passed unanimously with an amendment adding a proclamation clause, and the House resumed debate on Motion 35 concerning adult day programs.
Members' Statements
Recognizing PEI Actress Morgan Saunders
G. McNeilly
The Member for Charlottetown-West Royalty recognized 13-year-old PEI actress Morgan Saunders for her acting career, including roles in Hallmark films and streaming series, and wished her continued success.
Leadership on Affordability and Health Care
Hon. H. Perry
The Leader of the Opposition argued government has failed on affordability and health care access, criticizing rising costs, lack of family doctors, and ER closures, and calling for real leadership and results.
Tools to Improve Children's Futures
C. Simpson
The Member for Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park emphasized the importance of early childhood investment and previewed Bill 103, which would provide a legal tool to intervene when a child runs away from a safe home.
Routine Proceedings
Tabling of IRAC review information
Hon. R. Lantz
The Premier tabled, by leave, information on the IRAC review raised in Question Period, including the budget; the motion carried.
Tabling of Agriculture budget estimates responses
Hon. B. Thompson
The Minister of Agriculture tabled responses to questions raised during budget estimates in the Committee of the Whole for the Department of Agriculture; the motion carried.
Tabling of Community Development Equity Tax Credit Act questions
Hon. J. Redmond
The Minister of Economic Development tabled questions taken as notice regarding the Community Development Equity Tax Credit Act, a program of the Department of Finance; the motion carried.
Tabling of shellfish/oyster industry correspondence and Fisheries estimates responses
Hon. E. Hudson
The Minister of Fisheries tabled a May 14 letter to federal Minister Joanne Thompson supporting a shell recovery and bed restoration program and an EI approach for fishers, a letter from provincial shellfish and processor associations to the federal minister, and responses to Fisheries budget estimates questions; all motions carried.
Tabling of Bill 103 and child care funding documents
C. Simpson
The Member for Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park tabled a letter from Even for One supporting Bill 103, letters from child care centres to the Premier and ministers regarding early years funding model concerns, and a response from the Minister of Education to one such letter; all motions carried.
Orders of the Day
Motion to resolve into Committee of the Whole on Supplementary Estimates
Hon. B. Thompson
The Minister of Justice moved to read the second order of the day and resolve the House into Committee of the Whole to consider the grant of Supplementary supply; the motions carried and the House went into committee with Jordan McNally, executive director of fiscal management, on the floor.
Supplementary Estimates - Agricultural Land Buyback Program
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee reviewed two special warrants ($1.5M and $6.772M) for the Agricultural Land Buyback Program for potato wart index fields; McNally explained the timing reflected land transactions closing at different times, with total spending of about $8.27 million in 2025-26, no prior-year spending, and an average price of about $10,700 per acre.
Supplementary Estimates - Fisheries capital projects
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee approved capital warrants to relocate the aquaculture laboratory from Kensington Road to BioCommons Park ($2.1M) and for the Elmira Railway Museum land/buildings ($385,000); McNally explained the lab move addressed inadequate space and increased testing capacity.
Supplementary Estimates - PEI Agricultural Insurance Corporation drought claims
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee approved $62.4 million to support insurance claims from 2025 drought conditions; McNally explained the revenue offset was re-insurance purchased by the corporation, leaving a net impact of $31 million, and characterized the drought as an anomaly year. Bevan-Baker suggested government should track and estimate the annual cost of climate change, an idea Minister Burridge agreed to take back.
Supplementary Estimates - Innovation PEI Tax Incentive Program
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee approved $6.4 million for the PEI Tax Incentive Program; McNally said these were existing companies, chiefly Standard Aero, and that budget 2026-27 right-sized CIT and rebate revenue so future pressures should be fully revenue offset.
Supplementary Estimates - La Commission scolaire de langue française and Public Schools Branch
C. Simpson
The committee approved $900,000 for the French school commission and $5.1 million for the Public Schools Branch, covering substitute staffing, retroactive collective agreement pay, and school maintenance; McNally noted about $500,000 for substitute wages and $1.4 million for maintenance (electricity, waste, janitorial, snow removal), largely due to inflationary pressures.
Supplementary Estimates - Tourism PEI operations
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee approved $1.8 million for Tourism PEI operations covering golf course costs, Mark Arendz Park, other parks, and marketing; McNally and Minister Burridge confirmed the expenditure was more than fully offset by additional revenue and an ACOA bilateral marketing agreement.
Supplementary Estimates - Health PEI operations
G. McNeilly
The committee approved $67.3 million for Health PEI; McNeilly raised concerns about recurring large special warrants and sustainability. McNally attributed pressures to agency staffing (about $23 million), med/surg and lab supplies ($6 million), self-managed care underfunding, and collective agreements, and described program reviews and regional procurement efforts to reduce future pressures.
Supplementary Estimates - Justice and Public Safety collective agreements
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee approved $3.025 million for the ratification of the UPSE Civil collective agreement and terms for excluded employees; McNally explained the overall cost would be the same regardless of settlement timing, and that special warrants appeared only in Justice and Social Development because those departments were already at their budget limits.
Supplementary Estimates - Social Development and Seniors
Multiple
The committee approved $3.033 million covering the UPSE collective agreement (about $1.7 million) and residential services group home compensation (about $1.35 million); McNally attributed the group home costs to staffing needs driven by current demand and the complex needs of children in care, with SDS in a build phase adding group homes. K. Bernard and C. Simpson sought clarification on staffing versus back pay.
Supplementary Estimates - Legislative Assembly by-elections
P. Bevan-Baker
The committee approved $427,700 for by-elections in Districts 2, 9, and 15 plus general election preparation costs; McNally could not confirm whether Elections PEI maintains a by-election contingency. Bevan-Baker questioned the minister's confidence in controlling growth in total special warrants, noting they rose 33 percent this year after rising 50 percent the previous year.
Supplementary Estimates - special warrants and fiscal pressures
Hon. J. Burridge
Minister Burridge and official Jordan McNally responded to Bevan-Baker's questions about the 33 percent increase in special warrant spending, defending it as non-frivolous spending on health care and other pressures, and describing improved processes (tying warrants to Q3 forecasts) that should reduce late post-year-end special warrants. They discussed two supplementary rounds (fall and spring) already conducted and the possibility of a mid-year appropriation act as a policy decision.
Passage of Supplementary Estimates in Committee of the Whole
Multiple
The Committee carried the Supplementary Estimates (Total Current $150,383,000; Total Special Warrants $161,140,000) and Deputy Speaker Dillon reported the resolutions to the House, which were received and adopted.
Bill No. 27, Supplementary Appropriation Act 2026
Hon. B. Thompson
On motion of the Minister of Justice, the bill was read a second time and referred to Committee of the Whole, where Jordan McNally appeared as a stranger, no general questions were raised, and the bill carried without amendment and was reported and adopted.
Estimates - Community Specialty Services (Health PEI)
Christine Sewell
CFO Christine Sewell answered questions from McNeilly, MacFarlane and Bevan-Baker on staffing delays (CPAC physicians and midwifery), IVF supports, renal care being met, the cost of lowering colorectal screening age to 45 ($40,000-$60,000), a perinatal health review, a new lung cancer screening program, and midwifery statistics (129 births attended over two years, active recruitment for a Summerside team). The section carried at $22,870,300.
Estimates - Home Care, Palliative, and Geriatric Care
Christine Sewell
Sewell explained the grants line increase reflects growth in the self-managed care program (from 67 clients in 2024 to 363 in 2025-26, targeting 400 clients at $22/hour), no new salary positions but investment in home-based restorative care, and the volume-based mobile integrated health (Island EMS paramedic palliative care) line held constant. The section carried at $59,971,200.
Estimates - Long-term Care
Christine Sewell
Sewell confirmed 600 operating beds in nine public manors, explained salary increases from filling 226 positions faster than anticipated plus collective agreement, agency staffing budgeted at $4 million, 13 temporary over-capacity beds created (with no new permanent staffing), planned bed expansions in Tyne Valley and Souris in design phase, and occupational therapy purchase service overruns. The section carried at $114,152,600.
Estimates - Grants to Private Nursing Homes
Christine Sewell
Sewell described funding based on occupancy rates (health care rate $236.52, accommodation $119.30, dementia bed supplement $36.05), the requirement for homes to submit financial statements within 180 days, and that the $12 million increase reflects 85 new beds coming online in the fall (Murphy's build) plus a 2 percent rate increase. She could not speak to whether profit margins/dividends factor into grants, and the minister agreed to take back accountability metric questions. The section carried at $80,258,400.
Estimates - Mental Health and Addiction Services: Acute Programs
Christine Sewell
Sewell answered questions from Simpson and MacFarlane about no new budget for family navigation supports, Unit 9 at QEH status, one additional psychologist, the child psychiatry unit move (a capital project with takeback details), increased security funding for multiple sites as the wellness and transition centre opens, Mount Herbert's 16 beds and decommissioning timelines, and declining mental health hospital admissions. The section carried at $38,455,200.
Estimates - Mental Health and Addiction Services: Community Programs
Christine Sewell
Sewell explained salary variances due to vacancies (RNs, social workers, psychologists) and new investments including the ADHD program transitioned from UPEI to Health PEI ($1.5 million, 11 FTE), grant increases for the community addiction medicine Queen Street clinic and CMHA transitional housing support, and outlined the strategy to expand community mental health services through community health centres in Summerside and Montague.
Health PEI Estimates — Mental Health and Addiction Services
Christine Sewell
Members questioned Health PEI officials on mental health and addiction services, learning there is no new funding or programs in the budget beyond salary increases, that withdrawal management wait lists range from 30-40 patients, admissions declined from 860 to 760, and that staffing for the new wellness and transition centre was already invested over prior years. The Transitional Programs, Total Mental Health and Addictions Services ($95,100,300), and Total Health PEI ($1,241,970,500) sections were carried.
Committee reports progress on supply
M. MacKay
The Chair reported progress on the grant of supply to His Majesty and the committee begged leave to sit again, which was adopted.
Bill 103, An Act to Amend the Child, Youth and Family Services Act — Committee of the Whole
C. Simpson
The bill went into Committee of the Whole with strangers Dr. Janet Payne and Jenna Banks (read by Simpson) sharing personal testimony about the impact of the legislation on families and vulnerable youth. Government indicated support while raising concerns about police involvement and the Child and Youth Advocate's opposition, and Minister Thompson moved a proclamation clause amendment, later amended to change 'may' to 'shall' at the Opposition Leader's suggestion.
Bill 103 — Third Reading and Passage
C. Simpson
A recorded division was held on the committee report; the bill passed unanimously (23 yeas) and subsequently was read a third time and passed unanimously.
Recognition of Guests
Hon. D. Compton
The Minister of Land and Environment recognized civil servant and friend Frieda Billard in the gallery.
Private Members' Business
Motion 35 — Protect and Restore Adult Day Programs
G. McNeilly
McNeilly resumed debate on Motion 35 to protect and restore adult day programs, describing facilities like Brecken House and PE Home that provide essential social, physical, and mental supports allowing people to stay in their homes and relieve caregiver burden, and detailing how hospital over-capacity in January triggered a committee response amid a crisis point with patients in hallways.
Other business
Welcome back and recognition of guests, World Family Doctor Day, QEH Big Day of Giving, and passing of Robert K. Irving
Hon. R. Lantz
The Premier welcomed members and guests back after the long weekend, marked World Family Doctor Day thanking family physicians, promoted the QEH Foundation's Big Day of Giving, and extended condolences on the passing of business leader Robert K. Irving of Cavendish Farms.
Welcome and Charlottetown food festival, Summerside Western Capitals
Hon. H. Perry
The Leader of the Opposition welcomed guests, promoted the Rotary Club of Charlottetown's new food festival at the Eastlink Centre, and congratulated the Summerside Western Capitals on reaching the Centennial Cup championship game.
Paramedic Services Week, World Family Doctor Day, and Holland College graduations
M. MacFarlane
The Leader of the Third Party recognized Paramedic Services Week and local businesses honouring paramedics, noted World Family Doctor Day, and congratulated Holland College graduates.
Welcome and World Family Doctors Day
G. McNeilly
The Member for Charlottetown-West Royalty greeted constituents and thanked family physicians, welcoming Dr. Kris Saunders and family to the gallery.
Recognition of guests in the gallery
Hon. Z. Bell
The Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning recognized constituents George Dignan and Sam MacLeod in the gallery.
Congratulating the Summerside Western Capitals
T. DesRoches
The Member for Summerside-Wilmot welcomed members back and congratulated the Summerside Western Capitals on their season and Centennial Cup finals run.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search Prince Edward Island Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.