PEI
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced the appointment of former P.E.I. Premier Dennis King as Canada’s ambassador to Ireland.
King stepped down less than 2 weeks ago in a surprise resignation
Alex MacIsaac · CBC News
· Posted: Mar 03, 2025 10:31 AM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
P.E.I. Premier Dennis Kings speaks at a news conference in Cornwall, P.E.I., along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a 2023 photo. (Ron Ward/CP Photos)Former P.E.I. Premier Dennis King has been appointed as Canada’s new ambassador to Ireland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday in a news release.
“With his years of experience in public service, including as the Premier of Prince Edward Island, I am confident that he will serve Canada well and make the strong partnership between our two countries even stronger,” Trudeau said in the release.
In a surprise announcement, Dennis King says he is stepping down as P.E.I.’s premier
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King is resigning as the province’s 33rd premier after nearly six years in the job. ‘I’ve felt for a while… that I had more runway behind me than I had in front of me,’ the Progressive Conservative politician said, adding that the province needs a leader who can be focused on the long term. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin introduces an excerpt of video from his news conference.
The news comes after King’s surprise resignation as premier less than two weeks ago. At the time, he said he was stepping down following a long conversation with his family.
Rob Lantz, the MLA for Charlottetown-Brighton, was sworn in as premier in a ceremony the following day.
King, P.E.I.’s 33rd premier, entered politics in 2019 when he was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island and later became premier.
His government led the province through major challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes and the potato wart crisis that disrupted the Island’s potato industry.
With the appointment, King follows in the footsteps of his old boss: P.E.I. Premier Pat Binns, who King worked for while he was in office. Binns took the appointment as Canada’s ambassador after leaving provincial politics in 2007.
P.E.I. premier talks to CBC News: Compass about his resignation and what’s next
Dennis King announced Thursday that he was stepping down as P.E.I.’s premier and walking away from politics entirely. A few hours after the announcement, he joined CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin to talk about his decision and his plans for the future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex is an associate producer and reporter with CBC News in Prince Edward Island. He grew up on P.E.I. and graduated from Holland College’s journalism and communications program. He can be reached at alex.macisaac@cbc.ca.
