1. Joseph Atallah Ghiz was a Canadian politician and lawyer.
11 Facts About Joe Ghiz
1. 2.
Joe Ghiz was the 27th premier of Prince Edward Island from 1986 to 1993, and was a justice of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island from 1995 until his death in 1996.
3.
Joe Ghiz was the father of Robert Ghiz, the 31st premier of Prince Edward Island.
4.
Joe Ghiz was the first premier of a Canadian province to be of non-European descent, since followed by Ujjal Dosanjh and Joe Ghiz's son, Robert.
5.
Joe Ghiz was a graduate of Dalhousie and Harvard law schools and was a Charlottetown lawyer before entering into politics.
6.
Joe Ghiz became president of the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party in 1977 and then party leader in 1981.
7.
Joe Ghiz's party lost the 1982 election but Ghiz was elected to the legislature and became leader of the opposition.
8.
Joe Ghiz led the party to victory in 1986 with the Liberals gaining 20 seats to 11 for the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island.
9.
In January 1988, Joe Ghiz declared that Islanders would vote in a plebiscite on the question of a "fixed link" to mainland Canada - probably the single most divisive topic in Prince Edward Island during the latter part of the 20th century.
10.
Joe Ghiz's government was re-elected in 1989 winning 30 out of 32 seats; it is speculated that this was in reaction to the federal PC government of Brian Mulroney's decision to close CFB Summerside.
11.
Joe Ghiz favoured concessions to Quebec in constitutional negotiations and campaigned for the Charlottetown Accord, resigning three months after the accord was defeated in a 1992 referendum.