1996 Prince Edward Island general election


The 1996 Prince Edward Island general election was held on November 18, 1996. It was the first election since 1893 to not use multi-member constituencies, and instead elect single members to 27 districts.
The governing Liberals of Premier Keith Milligan, who had been in power since Joe Ghiz first won government in 1986, lost to the resurgent Progressive Conservatives under their new leader, Pat Binns.
This was also the first election where a party other than the Liberals or Tories won a seat in the Legislature, with New Democratic Party leader Herb Dickieson winning a three-way race in a Prince County riding.
This election was the only one in PEI history where a party formed government without winning a majority of the vote until the 2015 election.

Party standings

Members elected