27th Premier of Prince Edward Island. A member of the Liberal Party, he served in this position from May 1986 until January 1993. He was the first premier of a Canadian province to be of non-European descent. The son of a Lebanese merchant, he attended Dalhousie Law School (now Schulich School of Law) in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and practiced law in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. After entering politics, he was elected to the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly from the 6th Queens district in September 1982 and became Leader of the Opposition and the Liberal Party. When Prince Edward Island's Liberal Party won the 1986 election, he became Premier, replacing James Lee. During his tenure, he supported the Meech lake Accord, opposed the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, and in 1988 offered a referendum on the establishment of a bridge to mainland Canada (now called the Confederation Bridge). In October 1992 his referendum on the Charlottetown Accord, a package of proposed amendments to Canada's Constitution, was defeated and he resigned as Premier and was replaced by Catherine Callbeck. He then became dean of the Dalhousie Law School until 1995, when he received an appointment as a justice to the Prince Edward Island Supreme Court. The following year, he died from cancer at the age of 51. His son, Robert Ghiz, would go on to serve as Prince Edward Island's 31st Premier from June 2007 until February 2015.
27th Premier of Prince Edward Island. A member of the Liberal Party, he served in this position from May 1986 until January 1993. He was the first premier of a Canadian province to be of non-European descent. The son of a Lebanese merchant, he attended Dalhousie Law School (now Schulich School of Law) in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and practiced law in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. After entering politics, he was elected to the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly from the 6th Queens district in September 1982 and became Leader of the Opposition and the Liberal Party. When Prince Edward Island's Liberal Party won the 1986 election, he became Premier, replacing James Lee. During his tenure, he supported the Meech lake Accord, opposed the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, and in 1988 offered a referendum on the establishment of a bridge to mainland Canada (now called the Confederation Bridge). In October 1992 his referendum on the Charlottetown Accord, a package of proposed amendments to Canada's Constitution, was defeated and he resigned as Premier and was replaced by Catherine Callbeck. He then became dean of the Dalhousie Law School until 1995, when he received an appointment as a justice to the Prince Edward Island Supreme Court. The following year, he died from cancer at the age of 51. His son, Robert Ghiz, would go on to serve as Prince Edward Island's 31st Premier from June 2007 until February 2015.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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