Nova Scotia House of Assembly Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse | |
---|---|
65th General Assembly of Nova Scotia | |
Type | |
Type | Lower house (1758–1928) then unicameral house of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia |
Sovereign | The lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada) |
History | |
Founded | 1758 |
Leadership | |
Leader of Opposition | |
Structure | |
Seats | 55 |
Political groups | Government Official Opposition Other Parties
|
Elections | |
Last election | November 26, 2024 |
Next election | TBD |
Meeting place | |
Legislative Chamber, Province House, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | |
Website | |
nslegislature.ca/ |
The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (French : Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; Scottish Gaelic : Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. [1]
The assembly is the oldest in Canada, having first sat in 1758; [2] in 1848, it 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 [3] in the name of the King of Canada.
Originally (in 1758), the Legislature consisted of the Crown represented by a governor (later a lieutenant governor), the appointed Nova Scotia Council holding both executive and legislative duties and an elected House of Assembly (lower chamber). In 1838, the council was replaced by an executive council with the executive function and a legislative council with the legislative functions based on the House of Lords. In 1928, the Legislative Council was abolished and the members pensioned off.
There are 55 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) representing 55 electoral districts. [4] Members nearly always represent one of the three main political parties of the province: the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, and Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
The assembly meets in Province House. Located in Halifax, Province House is a National Historic Site and Canada's oldest and smallest legislative building. It opened on February 11, 1819. The building was also originally home to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and the location of the "Freedom of the Press" trial of Joseph Howe. Its main entrance is found on Hollis Street in Halifax.
A number of officers of the house are appointed in accordance with legislation passed by the house. These officers fulfil numerous functions as prescribed in the relevant legislation. There are two categories of officers:
The Speaker of the House has authority over the following offices and officers:
These include the Auditor General, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner. [5]
The Chief Electoral Officer of Nova Officer as head of Elections Nova Scotia is also appointed by a majority vote of the house and is considered an officer of the house.
Affiliation | Members | |
---|---|---|
Progressive Conservative | 43 | |
New Democratic | 9 | |
Liberal | 2 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 55 | |
Government majority | +29 |
(final reports filed)
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the House of Commons is dominant, with the Senate rarely opposing its will. The Senate reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint and may initiate certain bills. The monarch or his representative, normally the governor general, provides royal assent to make bills into law. According to Section 16 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the official languages of the parliament are English and French.
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. Though the word is merely a synonym for prime minister, it is employed for provincial prime ministers to differentiate them from the prime minister of Canada. There are ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers. In most provinces and all territories, these persons are styled the Honourable only while in office, unless they are admitted to the King's Privy Council for Canada, in which case they retain the title even after leaving the premiership. In Nova Scotia and Alberta, former premiers are honorary members of the provincial Executive Council and thereby retain the style the Honourable for life.
Sir George Prevost, 1st Baronet was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who is most well known as the "Defender of Canada" during the War of 1812. Born in New Jersey, the eldest son of Genevan Augustine Prévost, he joined the British Army as a youth and became a captain in 1784. Prevost served in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, and was commander of St. Vincent from 1794 to 1796. He became Lieutenant-Governor of Saint Lucia from 1798 to 1802 and Governor of Dominica from 1802 to 1805. He is best known to history for serving as both the civilian Governor General and the military Commander in Chief in British North America during the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States.
The Constitution Act, 1867, originally enacted as the British North America Act, 1867, is a major part of the Constitution of Canada. The act created a federal dominion and defines much of the operation of the Government of Canada, including its federal structure, the House of Commons, the Senate, the justice system, and the taxation system. In 1982, with the patriation of the Constitution, the British North America Acts which were originally enacted by the British Parliament, including this Act, were renamed. However, the acts are still known by their original names in records of the United Kingdom. Amendments were also made at this time: section 92A was added, giving provinces greater control over non-renewable natural resources.
The General Assembly of Nova Scotia is the legislature of the province of Nova Scotia. It consists of one or more sessions and comes to an end upon dissolution and an ensuing general election. Today, the unicameral legislature is made up of two elements: the lieutenant governor and a legislative assembly called the House of Assembly. The legislature was first established in 1758.
Province House in Halifax is where the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, known officially as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, has met every year since 1819, making it the longest serving legislative building in Canada. The building is Canada's oldest house of government. Standing three storeys tall, the structure is considered one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in North America.
The politics of Nova Scotia take place within the framework of a Westminster-style parliamentary constitutional monarchy. As Canada's head of state and monarch, Charles III is the sovereign of the province in his capacity as King in Right of Nova Scotia; his duties in Nova Scotia are carried out by the Lieutenant Governor, Michael Savage. The General Assembly is the legislature, consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and fifty-five members representing their electoral districts in the House of Assembly. The Government is headed by the Premier, Tim Houston, who took office on August 31, 2021. The capital city is Halifax, home to the Lieutenant Governor, the House of Assembly, and the Government. The House of Assembly has met in Halifax at Province House since 1819.
The Province of Manitoba, similar to other Canadian provinces and territories, is governed through a Westminster-based parliamentary system. The Manitoba government's authority to conduct provincial affairs is derived from the Constitution of Canada, which divides legislative powers among the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures. Manitoba operates through three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch—the Government of Manitoba—consists of the Executive Council and the Premier, who is the head of government and the President of the Executive Council. The legislative branch—the Manitoba Legislature—is composed of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly, which is composed of the 57 members (MLAs) elected to represent the people of Manitoba, as well as the Speaker, the Clerk, the Officers of the Legislative Assembly, and the employees of the legislative service.
The General Assembly of Nova Scotia was established by a proclamation of the Governor in Council on May 20, 1758. A writ for the election of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia was issued by May 22, returnable at the convening of the assembly on October 2, 1758. The assembly held two sessions, and was dissolved on August 13, 1759.
The Government of Nova Scotia is the government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The powers and structure of the province are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "government" refers broadly to the cabinet of the day chosen from the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and the non-political staff within each provincial department or agency – that is, the civil service.
The New Brunswick Legislature is the legislature of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor and the unicameral assembly called the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. The legislature has existed de jure since New Brunswick separated from Nova Scotia in 1784, but was not first convened until 1786.
Richard A. McHeffey was a political figure in Nova Scotia and a member of the Liberal Party. He was born in Windsor Township, Nova Scotia.
The Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was the upper house of the legislature of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It existed from 1838 to May 31, 1928. From the establishment of responsible government in 1848, members were appointed by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia on the advice of the premier.
Donald MacKeen Smith was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral districts of Halifax Centre and Halifax Citadel in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1960 to 1970 as a member of the Progressive Conservatives.
Leonard Lawson Pace, was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Halifax St. Margarets in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1970 to 1978. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.
Malcolm A. MacKay is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Sackville in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1978 to 1984. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party.
George Stuart Riley was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Halifax Cobequid in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1970 to 1974. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.
Ronald Manning Fielding was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral districts of Halifax West and Halifax Northwest in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1941 to 1960. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.
Geoffrey W. Stevens was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral districts of Halifax East and Halifax County Dartmouth in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1933 to 1960. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.