The politics of the link : an examination of the fixed connection in Prince Edward Island

Abstract

This thesis will examine the issue of a fixed connection between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Although the effects of such a mega-project would be most acutely experienced in P.E.I., the jurisdiction over the building and maintenance of the link would rest with the federal government. This thesis will argue that over the last century the fixed link has always been essentially a political issue. The decision to build or not to build rested solely with Ottawa and not the provincial government or the people of P.E.I.

Under the terms of entry into the Canadian union, the federal government promised to maintain continuous year round communication between the Island and the mainland. Over the years Ottawa's attempts to fulfill those terms have often fallen far short of what Islanders believed they should be.

While this thesis does chronicle the story of the fixed link, it does so in a political context, and more particularly in the context of federal-provincial relations. Although the people of Prince Edward Island voted in favour of a fixed link during a provincial plebiscite in 1989, they had no idea what physical form the link would ultimately take. After the plebiscite, a bridge design was accepted by the federal government, but without public consultation. Clearly the federal government was the key to everything from design to funding. Such has been the story of the fixed link since it was first discussed as a serious possibility on the 1880s. By looking at the series of arguments which resulted in the decision to proceed with the project in 1993, as well as the reasons it did not come to fruition in the past, this thesis provides some insight into how significant federal attitudes and policies are even in matters that focus on one particular province. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)