Conservatives meet in Summerside

SUMMERSIDE - The Progressive Conservative Party will hold its leadership convention on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, when it hopes it will be electing the next premier of Prince Edward Island.
The party made the announcement during its annual general meeting Saturday at the Loyalist Lakeview Resort in Summerside.
The party has been without a full-time leader since Pat Binns resigned to become Canada's ambassador to Ireland. Olive Crane has been serving as interim leader.
In an interview following the convention, Crane said she hasn't decided whether she'll offer as a candidate in the 2010 leadership convention.
"There's not a day goes by that not one or two or 10 people tell me that they'd like to see me do that, but I keep telling them my job is leader of the opposition and there's just three of us," said Crane.
"I really think that's where my focus is and that's where it should be."
More than 150 people attended the annual meeting, which saw several changes made to the party's constitution. The most significant would require the interim leader to resign immediately upon declaring their intention to seek the leadership of the party. The change was adopted without discussion or opposition.
During her address to party faithful, Crane went on the attack against the governing Liberal Party, saying they're "mired in scandal" and "ignoring entire sectors of our economy".
"The premier demonstrates that his leadership is the type of leadership that puts friends and a select few ahead of all the people of Prince Edward Island," said Crane, as she lifted into the air a glossy Liberal brochure that was put in all Island newspapers on Saturday, the same day as PC's annual meeting.
"We have the opportunity to show Islanders that the Progressive Conservative Party represents a real alternative to the non-government that is squandering the Island's future."
Retired Holland College registrar Sylvia Poirier was elected president of the PCs during the meeting.
"You can feel the enthusiasm today," Poirier said following her election win. "This is what it takes. It takes all these people working together at ground level."
Nobody has officially declared for the Progressive Conservative leadership race yet, but a couple of potential candidates can be removed from the list.
Tim Ogilvie, the former president of the Atlantic Veterinary College, confirms he will be seeking the Conservative nomination in Malpeque.
Gerard McCardle of Summerside will chair the leadership convention, making him ineligible for the post.
McCardle said people are already working behind the scenes to drum up support for a leadership bid.
"There is interest," said McCardle. "There are some surprising names which, of course, I cannot reveal at this time."
The party is also working on getting its fiscal house in order for the next provincial election, which will be held in October 2011.
The party still owes $144,000. That is significantly less than it had expected to owe at this time, but the provincial party also owes money to its district associations.