BIO DATA REPORT: GHIZ, ROBERT PEI PREMIER-ELECT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HALIFAX 000048 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR WHA/CAN AND INR/B E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR CA SUBJECT: BIO DATA REPORT: GHIZ, ROBERT PEI PREMIER-ELECT REF: HALIFAX 0045 HALIFAX 00000048 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. As reported reftel, Robert Ghiz and his Liberal party toppled the incumbent Tory government in a decisive win in the Prince Edward Island provincial election on May 28, 2007. Ghiz and his new cabinet will assume power on June 13, 2007. ¶2. NAME: Robert Watson Joseph GHIZ ¶3. DATE OF BIRTH: January 21, 1974 ¶4. PLACE OF BIRTH: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island ¶5. FAMILY: -- Son of the late Joe Ghiz (a Harvard-educated lawyer of Lebanese decent who was premier from 1986 to 1993) and Rose Ellen -- One sibling - sister Joanne. -- Married to Dr. Kate Ellis of Prince Edward Island ¶6. FUTURE POSITON: To become Premier of the Province of Prince Edward Island on June 13, 2007. ¶7. POLITICAL/PROFFESIONAL CAREER: -- Appointed as a Special Assistant to former federal Liberal cabinet minister Sheila Copps (1997-1998). -- Manager of Government Affairs, Bank of Nova Scotia, Ottawa, Ontario (1998-2001). -- Appointed as a Special Advisor (for Canada's Atlantic Provinces) to former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien (2001-2003). -- Chosen Leader of the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island in April 2003. -- Elected to the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly for District 13, Charlottetown-Rochford Square in the September 2003 provincial general election -- As Leader of the Official Opposition served as critic for several portfolios including intergovernmental affairs, health and social services. -- Re-elected as the member for Charlottetown-Rochford Square in the May 2007 provincial general election. ¶8. EDUCATION: Educated in Charlottetown area schools; Bachelor of Arts (Political Science),Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec. ¶9. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Avid sports fan with a special love for hockey, basketball and golf. COMMENT ¶10. The Liberals' upset victory in the May 28 provincial election was a crowning achievement for 33-year old Robert Ghiz who is a relative newcomer to provincial politics. Ghiz started his political career as a behind-the-scenes advisor in Ottawa and he only returned to the Island early in 2003 when provincial Liberal party strategists enticed him to run in the party's leadership campaign that April. Island Liberals were looking for a star candidate to guide them in revitalizing the party which was suffering from a demoralizing one-seat presence in the 27-seat provincial legislature. With popular Tory Premier Pat Binns ready to call an election that fall, the Liberals were scrambling to find a high-profile contender to go up against him, and thought they had found their man in Ghiz. ¶11. The problem was that pundits and political commentators were quick to ponder if Ghiz really had the qualities to lead the party in dethroning the popular Binns, commenting that perhaps his notoriety and appeal came more from his pedigree than his personal attributes. Ghiz is the son of the late premier Joe Ghiz who is regarded as one of the Island's greatest orators and gifted parliamentarians. The assumption was that young Ghiz would follow in his father's footsteps by igniting the party and the electorate and topple the incumbent Tories. However, Ghiz only narrowly won the contest over a well-seasoned, ex-Liberal cabinet minister who made much of Ghiz's political inexperience, his life off the Island, and his perceived lack of political intellect that his father had consistently displayed. ¶12. Undaunted by his near defeat in the leadership race, Ghiz quickly set about rebuilding the party knowing that Binns was HALIFAX 00000048 002.2 OF 002 getting ready to call an election that September. In the ensuing campaign, Ghiz turned in what was generally regarded as a credible performance taking four seats in the legislature, graciously accepting his loss to Binns, but vowing to win the next time. In the years following, that vow looked very difficult to fulfill as Binns and his ruling Tory party enjoyed widespread support across the Island and the Liberals consistently trailed in the public opinion polls. That trend continued even going into this year's election which Binns called on April 30. ¶13. The general consensus was that the election would be a tight race, but Binns would probably take it, albeit with a reduced majority. Up for the challenge, Ghiz unveiled a well-crafted campaign that turned out to be very popular with the electorate, focusing on improvements to education and health care, tax reduction and a pledge to maintain rural communities. Ghiz was also careful not to personally attack Binns given that the Premier was still widely respected across the province. Instead, he focused on offering Islanders a fresh government, painting the Tories as a stale government bankrupt of ideas. The strategy worked so well that on election day, May 28, Ghiz emerged with an overwhelming majority, 23 seats to the Tories' four. Even Ghiz was surprised at the results and publicly acknowledged that he was overwhelmed by the Islanders' overwhelming endorsement. (FYI: The Liberals garnered almost 53 percent of the vote versus 41.5 percent for the Tories. However, in a province with only 98,000 eligible voters our contacts have pointed out it does not take much to produce a change in government as Ghiz just experienced. END FYI) ¶14. Ghiz has a busy and exciting career ahead of him beginning on June 13 when he and his party take over the government. Deciding who will sit in his cabinet and setting his legislative agenda will be his top priorities, but equally important he says is for him to spend time with his family. He is very devoted to his widowed mother and his paternal grandmother, but saves the bulk of his free time for his wife of just one year, Dr. Kate Ellis, a medical doctor who interrupted her medical training to join her husband on the campaign trail. Ghiz says he wants to ensure that he strikes an equal balance between work and his private life especially as he and his wife are looking forward to starting a family. ¶15. CG managed a brief meeting with Ghiz in PEI on May 30 just two days after his election win. While he was still trying to fathom the scope of his victory, the Premier did underscore his desire to continue the close relationship his province has enjoyed with U.S. Mission in Canada and expressed a desire to build on the already strong trade and cultural relationship between his province and the United States. Ghiz will get an early opportunity to learn more about U.S. interests as he will be hosting the annual meeting of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers June 25-27, which Ambassador Wilkins will also be attending. For now, Ghiz is concentrating on more domestic items such as picking his cabinet and deciding how to implement those campaign promises that proved so popular with the electorate. END COMMENT FOSTER