This is a list of leaders of the opposition party in the Nova Scotia Legislature, both as a colony and a Province of Canada. Since 1928, when its upper house, the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was abolished, the province has had a unicameral parliamentary government. From Confederation, however, Nova Scotia has exclusively followed the modern Westminster convention whereby the leader of the opposition is the leader of the party that controls the second most seats in the House of Assembly.
| Picture | Name | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | James W. Johnston | Conservative | 1848–1857 | |
 | William Young | Liberal | 1857–1860 | |
| | James W. Johnston | Conservative | 1860–1864 | |
 | A.G. Archibald | Liberal | 1864–1867 |
| The Crown |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant-Governor | ||
| Premier | ||
| Opposition leader | ||
| House of Assembly | ||
| Speaker of the Assembly | ||
| Political parties | ||
| Elections | ||
| Other provinces and territories | ||
Nova Scotia is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Sir Riley Robert Archibald,more commonly known as Sir Adams George Archibald was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a Father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though he also served as first Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1870 to 1872.
The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party is a progressive, social-democratic provincial party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the provincial entity of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). It was founded as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1932, and became the New Democratic Party in 1961. It became the governing party of Nova Scotia following the 2009 Nova Scotia election, winning 31 seats in the Legislature, under the leadership of Premier Darrell Dexter. It is the first New Democratic Party in Atlantic Canada to form a government. The party lost government at the 2013 election, losing 24 seats, including Dexter's seat. The outgoing leader, Gary Burrill, is credited with bringing the party back to its left-wing roots, after the centrist policies of Dexter. The party currently holds 6 seats in the Legislature.
The premier of Nova Scotia is the first minister to the lieutenant governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia. Following the Westminster system, the premier is normally the leader of the political party which has the most seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who is called upon by the lieutenant governor to form a government. As the province's head of government, the premier exercises considerable power.
The Nova Scotia Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of Zach Churchill. The party was in power most recently from the 2013 election until the 2021 election.
The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, is a moderate political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. Like most conservative parties in Atlantic Canada, it has been historically associated with the Red Tory faction of Canadian conservatism. The party is currently led by Pictou East MLA Tim Houston. The party won a majority government in the 2021 provincial election.
The Nova Scotia House of Assembly, or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The assembly is the oldest in Canada, having first sat in 1758, and in 1848 was the site of the first responsible government in the British Empire. Bills passed by the House of Assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia in the name of the Queen.
Canadian federal elections have provided the following results in Nova Scotia.
The 2006 Nova Scotia general election was held on June 13, 2006 to elect members of the 60th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Stephen McNeil is a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Nova Scotia, from 2013 to 2021. He also represented the riding of Annapolis in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2003 to 2021 and was the leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party from 2007 to 2021.
The leader of the Opposition in Nova Scotia is the MLA in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who leads the political party recognized as the Official Opposition. This status generally goes to the leader of the second largest party in the Legislative Assembly. Zach Churchill, the leader of the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia, is the current leader of the opposition.
The 2009 Nova Scotia general election was held on June 9, 2009 to elect members of the 61st House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The government was defeated on a money bill on May 4, and the Nova Scotia House of Assembly was dissolved by Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis on May 5. thereby triggering an election. The NDP won a majority government, forming government the first time in the province's history, and for the first time in an Atlantic Canadian province. The governing Progressive Conservatives were reduced to third place.
Jamie Baillie is a Canadian former politician. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia from 2010 to 2018, and was the Leader of the Opposition from 2013 until January 2018, when he resigned and returned to the private sector. At the same time, he resigned as MLA for Cumberland South, the riding he had represented in the House of Assembly since 2010.
Zachariah Churchill is a Canadian politician from Nova Scotia. He serves as the member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Yarmouth, first elected in 2010.
Timothy Jerome Houston is a Canadian politician who is the 30th and current premier of Nova Scotia since 2021. He was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2013 provincial election. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, he represents the electoral district of Pictou East. Houston also served as the leader of the opposition from 2018 to 2021. He and the Progressive Conservative party won a majority government in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election, becoming the first Progressive Conservative premier since 2009.
Brendan Oliver Maguire is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2013 provincial election. A member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, he represents the electoral district of Halifax Atlantic.
The 2021 Nova Scotia general election was held on August 17, 2021, to elect members to the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia.
The 42nd Nova Scotia general election will be held on or before 15 July 2025 to elect members to the 65th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. During the 2021 election, the Progressive Conservatives included a commitment in their platform to introduce fixed election dates in the province. Under amendments to the provincial Elections Act introduced and passed in October 2021, the first fixed election date following the 2021 Nova Scotia general election is set as 15 July 2025. All subsequent elections will take place on the third Tuesday in July of the fourth calendar year following the previous election.
