The longest-sitting provincial government in Canada went down to defeat on Monday at the hands of a Maritime political dynasty.

Prince Edward Island voters sent Conservative premier Pat Binns packing, handing Robert Ghiz a resounding victory. In a complete reversal of the results for years previous, Ghiz’s Liberals won 23 of the 27 seats in the island’s legislature and about 53% of the popular vote.

Just 33 years old, the premier-elect is the son of the late Joe Ghiz, who held the same office from 1986 to 1993.

At the outset of the campaign, the wildly popular Binns was expected to win his fourth term handily. But the Liberals were able to tap into a desire for change on the island after eleven years of Conservative government.

Binns was also criticized for two expensive campaign announcements - the construction of a new junior high school and a new convention centre - that had not been included in the province’s last budget. And concern about the environment became a factor in the campaign, with Binns criticized for his handling of groundwater contamination problems.

The eco factor was enough to vault the Green Party into third place in the first election it contested in the province. Sharon Labchuk’s party earned 3% of the popular vote, ahead of the NDP but nowhere near the second-place Conservatives’ 41%.

Voter turnout was high at 83.4%, up one point from the 2003 election despite rainy weather that swept the island.

Binns is expected to step down as Conservative leader in the near future, allowing a successor to prepare for the next contest against Ghiz. Meanwhile, the Liberals will begin the business of government and will have to tackle the thorny issue of patronage - a deep-rooted PEI political tradition that critics say should be ended.

PEI’s next election will be in May 2011, the result of a new provincial law mandating fixed election dates.

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