Ghiz Page
A Charlottetown lawyer and son of a Lebanese corner store owner would successfully win the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1981. He would lead the party into the election of 1982 and become leader of the Opposition. Mr. Ghiz was elected P.E.I.'s and Canada's first Premier of non-European descent in 1986 with the key issues being the Litton Company deal, Equal Pay Legislation and later in the campaign the issue of his Lebanese background. That later became a personal issue for Mr. Ghiz when the editor of the local Evening Patriot newspaper was asked by a member of the national media if his race would be an issue. Mr. Ghiz replied with a statement to this issue and his speech along with his promise to enact a law of equal pay for equal work. Best known for his speech making, his love of Canada, his stance on the Meech Lake Accord, and a plebiscite regarding the fixed link to New Brunswick. He resigned to become dean of Law at Dalhousie in 1992 and would later become a Supreme Court Judge of P.E.I. in 1995. Mr. Ghiz passed away at the age of 51 on November 9, 1996 as a result of colon cancer.
In April of 2003 Robert Ghiz the son of former premier Joe Ghiz left his job in Ottawa working in the Prime Minister's office to pursue the leadership of the Liberal party of P.E.I. After securing victory, in September of 2003 Mr. Ghiz would lead the Liberals into a provincial election. In this election Robert Ghiz would not face any questions about his background. The only thing said was that he was "Joe's Son." Robert Ghiz did a wonderful job taking on a popular Premier Pat Binns. Despite losing the election Robert Ghiz would win his seat and become leader of the Opposition.