Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz speaks to reporters as he chairs Canada's premiers meeting in Ottawa on January 30, 2015. P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz's decision to walk away from politics, at least for now, was unexpected. He leaves the stage this weekend at the age of 41 and P.E.I.'s Liberal party still commands a large majority in the legislature after his 12 years in office. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
February 20, 2015 - 1:00 AM
CHARLOTTETOWN - A profile of Robert Ghiz, premier of Prince Edward Island.
Age: 41.
Early years: Ghiz was born in Charlottetown and attended Colonel Grey High School. Before entering provincial politics, he worked as a special assistant to then-prime minister Jean Chretien. He also served as special assistant to the federal heritage minister and was later hired as manager of government affairs for the Bank of Nova Scotia in Ottawa.
Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in political studies at Bishop's University.
Political career: Ghiz returned to P.E.I. in 2003 and became leader of the provincial Liberal party. He became leader of the Opposition after being elected in the 2003 provincial election. He was sworn in as premier in June 2007 after leading the Liberals to a majority government, winning 23 of 27 seats. His government was re-elected in 2011 with 22 seats.
Family: Married to Dr. Kate Ellis Ghiz. They have two daughters, Julia and Emma, and one son, Jack.
Quote: "I don't really have the fire in my belly right now for politics. I'll take some time off, and sometimes taking time off you rest up and you'll get excited again about things and maybe I'll want to get involved some time down the road, but in the short term, definitely not." — Ghiz when asked if he has thoughts of running federally.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015