List of post-confederation Nova Scotia general elections

Last updated

Number of seats won by major parties at each election
Conservative
Liberal
NDP
Other NS elections2.gif
Number of seats won by major parties at each election
ConservativeLiberalNDPOther
Electoral results by parties and independent MLAs (as a percentage of total House of Assembly seats) from 1933 to 2009. Nova Scotia general elections, 1933-2009 1.0.png
Electoral results by parties and independent MLAs (as a percentage of total House of Assembly seats) from 1933 to 2009.

This article provides a summary of results for the general elections to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia 's unicameral legislative body, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The number of seats has varied over time, from a low of thirty during the 1930s and early 1940s, to the current high of fifty-two. This article only covers elections since Nova Scotia became part of the newly formed Canadian Confederation in 1867. Prior to that, Nova Scotia was a British colony. The Nova Scotia House of Assembly dates back to 1758, and Nova Scotia became the first British colony to be granted responsible government from London in 1848.

Contents

The chart on the upper right provides a graphical summary of the results, with the most recent elections towards the right. It shows how the Liberal party (red) dominated the province's early political history, winning nineteen of the first twenty-two elections from 1867 to 1953; and that since 1953, the Conservatives (blue) have been the most successful party, winning eleven of the fifteen elections since then. The New Democratic Party (orange), after winning Official Opposition status in four consecutive elections, finally achieved government for the first time in the 2009 election.

Results

The table below shows the total number of seats won by the major political parties at each election. It also shows the percentage of the vote obtained by the major political parties at each election, if greater than 0.1%. The winning party's totals are shown in bold. To date, no party has formed a government that did not have the largest share of the vote. Full details on any election are linked via the number of the election at the start of the row.

ElectionTotal
seats
Conservative [A] Liberal NDP [B] Other
SeatsVote (%)SeatsVote (%)SeatsVote (%)SeatsSeat-winning partyVote (%)
1st September 18, 1867382 [C] 38.5 [C] 36 [D] 58.6 [D] 2.9
2nd May 16, 1871381443.72452.24.0
3rd December 17, 1874381243.62255.04Independents1.4
4th September 17, 1878383251.7645.13.1
5th June 20, 1882381446.92451.81.3
6th June 1886371043.62854.71.6
7th May 189038946.72952.21.0
8th March 1894371347.32551.90.8
9th April 13, 189738344.43455.01Independent0.5
10th October 2, 190138241.73656.71.5
11th June 20, 190638442.13253.22Independents4.6
12th June 14, 1911381245.42651.13.5
13th June 20, 1916431248.83150.40.8
14th July 27, 192043324.72944.4516.96 United Farmers 14.0
15th June 25, 1925434060.9336.32.8
16th October 1, 1928432451.71847.211.1
17th August 22, 193330845.92252.61.5
18th June 20, 193730546.02552.91.1
19th October 28, 194130540.32252.737.0
20th October 23, 194530033.52852.7213.60.1
21st June 9, 194937839.22751.029.60.1
22nd May 26, 1953371343.62249.026.90.5
23rd October 30, 1956432448.61848.213.00.1
24th June 7, 1960432748.31542.618.90.2
25th October 8, 1963433956.2439.74.1
26th May 30, 1967464052.8641.85.20.2
27th October 13, 1970462146.92346.126.70.2
28th April 2, 1974461238.63147.9313.00.5
29th September 19, 1978523145.81739.4414.40.4
30th October 6, 1981523747.51333.2118.11Cape Breton Labour1.2
31st November 6, 1984524250.6631.3315.91Cape Breton Labour2.2 [E]
32nd September 6, 1988522843.42139.6215.81 Cape Breton Labour 1.1
33rd May 25, 199352931.14049.7317.70.9
34th March 24, 1998521429.81935.31934.62.4
35th July 27, 1999523039.21129.81130.01.1
36th August 5, 2003522536.31231.51531.01.2
37th June 13, 2006522339.6923.42034.62.4
38th June 9, 2009521024.51127.23145.33.0
39th October 8, 2013511126.33345.7726.81.2
40th May 30, 2017511735.782739.51721.413.3
41st August 18, 2021553138.441736.67620.931Independent1.17
42nd November 26, 2024554352.49222.69922.171Independent1.18

Notes

A Includes results for Progressive Conservatives.
B Includes results for Co-operative Commonwealth Federation prior to 1963; and also results for the Labour party prior to 1937.
C Includes Pro Confederation.
D Includes Anti-Confederates.
E Includes 2.0% for Cape Breton Labour Party.

See also

References