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Both the Conservative and Green parties have seen an increase in contested nominations on Prince Edward Island in the leadoff to this fall’s federal election.

The well-attended nomination meetings, in which party members choose their candidate, could be a sign of grassroots strength for both parties. Neither the Greens nor the Tories had any contested candidate nominations prior to the 2015 election.

Sylvia Poirier, P.E.I.’s representative on the Conservative Party’s Federal Council, said her party’s competitive nominations are a sign of growing interest.

“I think the Conservatives see that there's more potential than there was in 2015 in the Atlantic region," Poirier told The Guardian

“When you've been around for a while, you can actually feel that, just by people showing up and raising money and all that kind of stuff."

By contrast, incumbent Liberal candidates Wayne Easter, Lawrence MacAulay and Bobby Morrissey were re-appointed as candidates according to party regulations. The final incumbent candidate, Charlottetown MP Sean Casey, told The Guardian he expects to be re-appointed soon.

The Conservatives have nominated all four of their candidates in P.E.I. Malpeque candidate Stephen Stewart and Cardigan candidate Wayne Phelan both won their respective nominations after competitive votes by party members. Stewart, who ran as the party’s candidate in 2015, defeated two challengers, Michael Clark and Renee Pastoor. According to the party, 300 members voted. Phelan defeated Julius Patkai, the party’s candidate in 2015, as well as Fred Martens, in a vote last month. Charlottetown candidate Robert Campbell and Egmont candidate Logan McLellan did not face challengers for their nominations.

As for the Green party, Malpeque candidate Anna Keenan defeated two others – Randy Gass and Perry Williams. Over 160 members cast a ballot. Another competitive nomination is planned in Egmont, with Eddie Childs facing off against brewery owner Alex Clark. No date has been set for the party’s nomination in Egmont or in Cardigan, where so far one candidate, Glen Beaton, has put his name forward. Darcie Lanthier became the party’s Charlottetown candidate in February after an uncontested nomination.

The NDP has no current candidates, but two nominees, Sharon Dunn and Leslie Labobe, are vying for the party’s candidacy in Egmont.

Here are the nominated candidates so far (as of July 31, 2019)

Cardigan : Lawrence MacAulay (Liberal), Wayne Phelan (Conservative)

: Lawrence MacAulay (Liberal), Wayne Phelan (Conservative) Charlottetown : Sean Casey (Liberal), Robert Campbell (Conservative), Darcie Lanthier (Green)

: Sean Casey (Liberal), Robert Campbell (Conservative), Darcie Lanthier (Green) Malpeque : Wayne Easter (Liberal), Stephen Stewart (Conservative), Anna Keenan (Green)

: Wayne Easter (Liberal), Stephen Stewart (Conservative), Anna Keenan (Green) Egmont: Bobby Morrissey (Liberal), Logan McLellan (Conservative)

Provincial gains during last April’s election have inspired increased interest in federal Green candidates, said Lanthier.

"Malpeque was the first ever contested nomination for the Green Party of Canada on Prince Edward Island," Lanthier said.

"Normally it would be more of a recruiting effort."

Logan McLellan, the 26-year-old Conservative candidate in Egmont, is so far the only nominated candidate younger than 30 on P.E.I. His riding was won by Conservative MP Gail Shea for two terms, in 2008 and again in 2011.

McLellan, who describes himself as being “more on the progressive side” of the Conservative Party, said voters have been describing a dissatisfaction with the “old-school politics” of the Trudeau government.

“We're attracting a whole new demographic that we maybe have never attracted on the Conservative side of things,” McLellan said.

McLellan said Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has plans to visit P.E.I. before the end of summer.

Liberal incumbent Sean Casey told The Guardian party rules allow incumbent MPs to be automatically re-nominated if they have met specific voter engagement targets. This includes knocking on at least 3,500 doors, or meeting fundraising targets.

Casey, who has already been door knocking on a near-daily basis, said concerns about the SNC-Lavalin scandal were on the minds of voters earlier in the season. But that concern has calmed significantly.

"It has absolutely faded. The number one issue that I'm hearing on the doors right now is affordable housing," Casey said.

"The people that are talking about leadership — first there’s fewer of them. But I would say there are easily as many expressing concerns about the alternatives to the Liberals.”

A May poll from Narrative Research showed support in P.E.I. for the federal Conservatives at 42 per cent of decided voters. The Liberals were at 32 per cent while the Greens were at 22 per cent. NDP support stood at four per cent.

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