P.E.I. NDP president to take on leader duties until February convention

PEI·NewThe P.E.I. New Democratic Party will not have an official leader until its next leadership convention. However, Ann Braithwaite was selected to replace party president, Dr. Herb Dickieson. Party selected Ann Braithwaite as new presidentJenna Banfield · CBC News · Posted: Oct 25, 2025 3:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesAnn Braithwaite will assume leadership responsibilities for the P.E.I. New Democratic Party for the next few months. (Taylor O’Brien/CBC)The P.E.I. New Democratic Party will not have an official leader until its next leadership convention.However, Ann Braithwaite has been selected to replace party president, Dr. Herb Dickieson, and will assume leadership duties until February’s convention.The decision not to select an interim leader was made at Saturday’s annual general meeting in Summerside.Braithwaite, a professor at UPEI, says the role will have its challenges. However, she said she’s seeing political shifts in the world that make her want to challenge herself.”I’ve never really been completely captivated by electoral politics,” Braithwaite said. “I pay attention. I vote. I know what’s going on in … our various legislatures, both provincially and federally, but that’s never been where my sort of movement goes.“I love organizing things. I love community-building. I think that there’s a lot of people who care a lot and I think that a lot of people don’t see themselves well-represented.” Michelle Neill, the former leader, announced her resignation in late August. She held the position since April 2022. The party doesn’t hold a seat in the legislature. The leadership convention will take place Feb. 7.ABOUT THE AUTHORJenna Banfield is an associate producer for CBC Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at jenna.banfield@cbc.caWith files from Taylor O’Brien