How did the Land Purchase Act of 1875 change land ownership on Prince Edward Island?

The Land Purchase Act of 1875 fundamentally transformed land ownership on Prince Edward Island by ending the colony's long-standing and controversial land tenure system.1

For the century preceding the act, the island had been plagued by issues involving absentee landlords. In 1767, the British administration had awarded 64 large townships—each approximately 20,000 acres—to proprietors who were expected to encourage settlement but often failed to do so effectively.1

Following the island's entry into the Canadian confederation in 1873, the provincial government secured concessions from the federal government. These arrangements empowered the province to purchase the lands still held by foreign proprietors and subsequently resell them to resident farmers, thereby resolving the systemic issues of absentee ownership.1