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51 seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 26 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 59.08% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2013 Nova Scotia general election, formally the 39th Nova Scotia general election, was held on October 8, 2013, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
The Nova Scotia House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, the other being the Queen of Canada in Right of Nova Scotia represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. It is the legislative branch of the provincial government 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.
The result of the election was a Liberal victory under the leadership of Stephen McNeil, with the Liberals winning their first election since 1998. The Progressive Conservatives under the leadership of Jamie Baillie improved on their 2009 results and formed the official opposition, despite winning fewer votes than the New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP, which had won power for the first time in 2009 under the leadership of Darrell Dexter was reduced to third place and became the first one-term government since 1882. Dexter was defeated in the riding he contested in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley by Liberal candidate Tony Ince.
The Nova Scotia Liberal Party is a socially liberal, fiscally conservative political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. The party currently forms government in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of Premier Stephen McNeil. It has held power in the province since the 2013 election, and the current government led by Stephen McNeil was the first in Nova Scotia to win 2 consecutive majorities since the government of John Buchanan, after the victory in the 2017 Nova Scotia election.
Stephen McNeil is a Canadian politician who is the 28th and current premier of Nova Scotia, having assumed office on October 22, 2013. He has also represented the riding of Annapolis in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly since 2003 and has been the leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party since 2007.
Darrell Elvin Dexter is a Canadian lawyer, journalist and former naval officer who served as the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party, he served as party leader from 2001 to 2013. He became Premier in 2009 after his party defeated the governing Progressive Conservative Party, leading the first NDP government in Atlantic Canada and the second east of Manitoba. His government was defeated in the 2013 election, becoming the first Nova Scotia government in 131 years to be denied a second mandate; Dexter himself was defeated in his constituency by 21 votes. Dexter now serves as a lobbyist for the marijuana industry.
Rodney Joseph MacDonald is a Canadian politician, educator and musician who served as the 26th Premier of Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2009 and as MLA for the riding of Inverness in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2009.
Karen Lynn Casey is a Canadian politician who represents the electoral district of Colchester North in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as a member of the Liberal caucus.
The election campaign began the week after Labour Day, when the Legislature would normally have been expected to return to work, had there been no election campaign. As criticism or defence of government policy would dominate the agenda, and by convention electoral mandates are understood to last about four years, despite a lack of fixed election dates, the timing was not controversial.
The Muskrat Falls or Lower Churchill Project, its associated Maritime Link, and electricity policy generally, immediately emerged as the key issue in the early campaign. . Liberals emphasized Nova Scotia Power's (NSPI) dominance of power generation, and its ability to exclude alternatives through its near-monopoly ownership of the distribution network, covering 129/130 Nova Scotians. They also promised to remove a conservation charge, named for demand response programs that never materialized (though many passive conservation programs run by Efficiency Nova Scotia did prove effective) – instead proposing that NSPI pay for it from its return. Liberals and Conservatives criticized NSPI's unaccountable 9.2% guaranteed rate of return even for unwise investments. Conservatives acknowledged that it was under pressure to meet a tough renewable standard (which they would relax) but also promised to freeze rates. The NDP government continued to defend Muskrat Falls as the only viable alternative to replace coal-fired power, even though this project was before the Nova Scotia Utilities Review Board as of the election call, remained unchanged and this was reflected in their campaign materials – they criticized the Liberal plan as likely to lead to higher power rates. The basis for these criticisms was unclear. However, a similar attempt to open generation competition in New Brunswick failed, in part because New Brunswick Power retained monopoly control of the distribution and transmission network, which intimidates competitors and makes it easy in practice to exclude them.
Muskrat Falls is a natural 15 metre waterfall located on the lower Churchill River about 25 kilometers west of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador.
The Lower Churchill Project is a planned hydroelectric project in Labrador, Canada, to develop the remaining 35 per cent of the Churchill River that has not already been developed by the Churchill Falls Generating Station. The Lower Churchill's two installations at Gull Island and Muskrat Falls will have a combined capacity of over 3,074 MW and have the ability to provide 16.7 TWh of electricity per year.
Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a vertically integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Nova Scotia Power Inc provides electricity to 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Nova Scotia.
Other issues in the campaign:
Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County and is largest population centre in the region.
Portland is a city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a population of 67,067 as of 2017. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, more than one-third of Maine's total population, making it the most populous metro in northern New England. Portland is Maine's economic center, with an economy that relies on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port district is known for its 19th-century architecture and nightlife. Marine industry still plays an important role in the city's economy, with an active waterfront that supports fishing and commercial shipping. The Port of Portland is the largest tonnage seaport in New England.
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a popular tourist destination in the Down East region of Maine and home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory, and MDI Biological Laboratory. Prior to a catastrophic 1947 fire, the town was a noted summer colony for the wealthy. Bar Harbor is home to the largest parts of Acadia National Park, including Cadillac Mountain, the highest point within twenty-five miles (40 km) of the coastline of the Eastern United States. The town is served by the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport, which serves year-round direct flights to Boston, Massachusetts.
Party | Party leader | # of candidates | Seats | Popular vote | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Dissolution | Elected | % Change | # | % | Change | ||||
Liberal | Stephen McNeil | 51 | 11 | 12 | 33 | +200.0% | 190,112 | 45.71% | +18.51pp | |
Progressive Conservative | Jamie Baillie | 51 | 10 | 7 | 11 | +10.0% | 109,452 | 26.31% | +1.77pp | |
New Democratic | Darrell Dexter | 51 | 31 | 31 | 7 | -77.4% | 111,622 | 26.84% | -18.40pp | |
Green | John Percy | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 3,528 | 0.85% | -1.49pp | |
Independents | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 1,238 | 0.30% | -0.38pp | ||
Vacant | 1 | |||||||||
Total | 176 | 52 | 52 | 51 | -0.02% | 415,952 | 100.00% | 0.00% |
Party name | HRM | C.B. | Valley | S. Shore | Fundy | Central | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parties winning seats in the legislature | |||||||||
New Democratic Party | Seats: | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 7 | |
Popular vote: | 31.29% | 25.16% | 17.40% | 24.68% | 26.26% | 31.51% | 26.84% | ||
Liberal | Seats: | 18 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 33 | |
Popular vote: | 48.72% | 46.89% | 52.02% | 43.55% | 40.68% | 28.71% | 45.71% | ||
Progressive Conservative | Seats: | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | |
Popular vote: | 18.62% | 27.69% | 27.58% | 30.76% | 32.01% | 39.78% | 26.31% | ||
Parties not winning seats in the legislature | |||||||||
Green | Popular vote: | 0.98% | 0.00% | 2.11% | 1.01% | 1.05% | 0.00% | 0.85% | |
Independents | Popular vote: | 0.39% | 0.26% | 0.89% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.3% | |
Total seats: | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 51 |
Wayne Gaudet is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Clare in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1993 to 2013. He is a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.
Clare is a former provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada which existed between 1949-2013. Prior to 1949, Clare was part of Digby district. It elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. In its last configuration, the electoral district included the Municipality of the District of Clare, an Acadian area occupying the southwestern half of Digby County. For four consecutive elections from 1988 to 1999, the district had the highest voter turnout in the province.
Harold A. 'Junior' Theriault is a former Canadian politician and member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, who represented the riding of Digby-Annapolis for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party from 2003 to 2013.
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Add new ridings, sort parties by last election result (April 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Annapolis | Henry Spurr | Stephen McNeil | Ginny Hurlock [20] | Ron Neufeld | Stephen McNeil | |||||||
Clare-Digby | Dean Kenley | Gordon Wilson | Paul Emile LeBlanc [21] | Ian Thurber | Wayne Gaudet† | |||||||
merged district | ||||||||||||
Harold Theriault† | ||||||||||||
Hants West | Brian Stephens | Claude O'Hara | Chuck Porter | Torin Buzek | Chuck Porter | |||||||
Kings North | Jim Morton | Stephen Pearl | John Lohr [22] | Mary Lou Harley | Jim Morton | |||||||
Kings South | Ramona Jennex | Keith Irving | Shane Buchan [21] | Sheila Richardson | Ramona Jennex | |||||||
Kings West | Bob Landry | Leo Glavine | Jody Frowley | Barbara Lake | Leo Glavine |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Argyle-Barrington | Kenn Baynton | Kent Blades | Chris d'Entremont | Chris d'Entremont | ||||||||
Chester-St. Margaret's | Denise Peterson-Rafuse | Tim Harris | Janet Irwin [21] | Denise Peterson-Rafuse | ||||||||
Lunenburg | Pam Birdsall | Suzanne Lohnes-Croft | Brian Pickings | Pam Birdsall | ||||||||
Lunenburg West | Gary Ramey | Mark Furey | David Mitchell [21] | Robert Pierce | Gary Ramey | |||||||
Queens-Shelburne | Sterling Belliveau | Benson Frail | Bruce Inglis [23] | Madeline Taylor | Sterling Belliveau | |||||||
merged district | ||||||||||||
Vicki Conrad† | ||||||||||||
Yarmouth | Charles Webster | Zach Churchill | John Cunningham | Vanessa Goodwin-Clairmont | Zach Churchill |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley | Gary Burrill | Tom Martin | Larry Harrison [24] | Gary Burrill | ||||||||
Colchester North | Jim Wyatt | Karen Casey | John MacDonald [21] | Karen Casey | ||||||||
Cumberland North | Brian Skabar | Terry Farrell | Judith Giroux [21] | Jason Blanch | Brian Skabar | |||||||
Cumberland South | Larry Duchesne | Kenny Jackson | Jamie Baillie [21] | Bruce McCulloch | Jamie Baillie | |||||||
Hants East | John MacDonell | Margaret Miller | Kim Williams [25] | John MacDonell | ||||||||
Truro–Bible Hill–Millbrook–Salmon River | Lenore Zann | Barry Mellish | Charles Cox [21] | Lenore Zann |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Clayton Park West | Blake Wright | Diana Whalen | Jaime D. Allen | Diana Whalen | ||||||||
Fairview-Clayton Park | Abad Khan | Patricia Arab | Travis Price | Raland Kinley | Katie Campbell | New Riding | ||||||
Halifax Armdale | Drew Moore | Lena Diab | Irvine Carvery | Graham Steele† | ||||||||
Halifax Chebucto | Gregor Ash | Joachim Stroink [26] | Christine Dewell [21] | Michael Marshall | Howard Epstein† | |||||||
Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | Leonard Preyra | Labi Kousoulis | Andrew Black | Brynn Horley | Frederic Boileau-Cadieux | Leonard Preyra | ||||||
Halifax Needham | Maureen MacDonald | Chris Poole | Mary Hamblin [27] | Kris MacLellan | Maureen MacDonald |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Bedford | Mike Poworoznyk | Kelly Regan | Joan Christie [28] | Ian Charles | Kelly Regan | |||||||
Halifax Atlantic | Tanis Crosby | Brendan Maguire | Ryan Brennan | Michèle Raymond† | ||||||||
Hammonds Plains-Lucasville | Peter Lund | Ben Jessome | Gina Byrne [29] | Jonathan Dean | New Riding | |||||||
Sackville-Beaver Bank | Mat Whynott | Stephen Gough | Sarah Reeves [30] | Mat Whynott | ||||||||
Sackville-Cobequid | Dave Wilson | Graham Cameron | Peter Mac Isaac [31] | John Percy | Dave Wilson | |||||||
Timberlea-Prospect | Linda Moxsom-Skinner | Iain Rankin | Bruce Pretty | Thomas Trappenberg | Bill Estabrooks† | |||||||
Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank | Percy Paris | Bill Horne [32] | Brian Wong [33] | Percy Paris |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage | Becky Kent | Joyce Treen [34] | Lloyd Jackson | Becky Kent | ||||||||
Cole Harbour-Portland Valley | Darrell Dexter | Tony Ince | Greg Frampton | Darrell Dexter | ||||||||
Dartmouth East | Deborah Stover | Andrew Younger | Mike MacDonell | Andrew Younger | ||||||||
Dartmouth North | Steve Estey | Joanne Bernard | Sean Brownlow | Vacant | ||||||||
Dartmouth South | Mary Vingoe | Allan Rowe | Gord Gamble [35] | Jim Murray | Marilyn More† | |||||||
Eastern Shore | Sid Prest | Kevin Murphy [36] | Stephen Brine | Sid Prest | ||||||||
Preston-Dartmouth | Andre Cain | Keith Colwell | Andrew Mecke | Keith Colwell |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Antigonish | Maurice Smith | Randy Delorey [37] | Darren Thompson | Maurice Smith | ||||||||
Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie | Jim Boudreau | Lloyd Hines [38] | Neil DeCoff | Jim Boudreau | ||||||||
Pictou Centre | Ross Landry | Bill Muirhead | Pat Dunn [39] | Ross Landry | ||||||||
Pictou East | Clarrie MacKinnon | Francois Rochon | Tim Houston [40] | Clarrie MacKinnon | ||||||||
Pictou West | Charlie Parker | Glennie Langille | Karla MacFarlane [41] | Charlie Parker |
Electoral District | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDP | Liberal | PC | Green | Independent | ||||||||
Cape Breton Centre | Frank Corbett | David Wilton [42] | Edna Lee [43] | Frank Corbett | ||||||||
Cape Breton-Richmond | Bert Lewis | Michel Samson | Joe Janega [44] | Michel Samson | ||||||||
Glace Bay | Mary Beth MacDonald | Geoff MacLellan | Tom Bethell | Geoff MacLellan | ||||||||
Inverness | Michelle Smith | Jackie Rankin [45] | Allan MacMaster | Allan MacMaster | ||||||||
Northside-Westmount | Cecil Snow | John Higgins [46] | Eddie Orrell | Eddie Orrell | ||||||||
Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg | Delton McDonald | Josephine Kennedy [47] | Alfie MacLeod | Alfie MacLeod | ||||||||
Sydney-Whitney Pier | Gordie Gosse | Derek Mombourquette [48] | Leslie MacPhee | Gordie Gosse | ||||||||
merged district | ||||||||||||
Vacant | ||||||||||||
Victoria-The Lakes | John Frank Toney | Pam Eyking [49] | Keith Bain | Stemer MacLeod | Keith Bain |
Polling Firm | Last Day of Polling | Link | NDP | Liberal | PC | Green |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Election 2013 | October 8, 2013 | HTML | 26.84 | 45.71 | 26.31 | 0.85 |
Forum Research | October 7, 2013 | 26 | 48 | 23 | 3 | |
Forum Research | October 6, 2013 | 28 | 47 | 23 | 2 | |
Abacus Data | October 6, 2013 | 26 | 46 | 27 | 1 | |
Forum Research | October 5, 2013 | 28 | 47 | 23 | 2 | |
Abacus Data | October 5, 2013 | 27 | 48 | 24 | 1 | |
Forum Research | October 4, 2013 | 28 | 46 | 24 | 2 | |
Abacus Data | October 3, 2013 | 28 | 46 | 25 | 1 | |
Corporate Research Associates | October 3, 2013 | HTML | 31 | 47 | 20 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | October 3, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 52 | 17 | 2 |
Abacus Data | October 2, 2013 | 28 | 50 | 22 | 1 | |
Corporate Research Associates | October 2, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 54 | 17 | 2 |
Abacus Data | October 1, 2013 | 26 | 51 | 23 | 1 | |
Corporate Research Associates | October 1, 2013 | HTML | 28 | 55 | 16 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 30, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 56 | 15 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 29, 2013 | HTML | 24 | 57 | 17 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 28, 2013 | HTML | 26 | 56 | 17 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 27, 2013 | HTML | 26 | 55 | 16 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 26, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 56 | 16 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 25, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 53 | 17 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 24, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 51 | 20 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 23, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 49 | 20 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 22, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 49 | 21 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 21, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 48 | 21 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 20, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 47 | 21 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 19, 2013 | HTML | 28 | 47 | 23 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | September 18, 2013 | HTML | 28 | 48 | 23 | 2 |
Corporate Research Associates | August 31, 2013 | 31 | 41 | 25 | 3 | |
Corporate Research Associates | May 30, 2013 | 26 | 45 | 26 | 3 | |
Corporate Research Associates | March 3, 2013 | 32 | 39 | 24 | 5 | |
Corporate Research Associates | November 30, 2012 | 29 | 41 | 27 | 3 | |
Corporate Research Associates | September 2, 2012 | 31 | 41 | 22 | 5 | |
Corporate Research Associates | June 4, 2012 | 35 | 33 | 28 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | February 26, 2012 | 44 | 27 | 25 | 3 | |
Corporate Research Associates | November 29, 2011 | 45 | 22 | 29 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | August 31, 2011 | 41 | 26 | 30 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | May 30, 2011 | 42 | 22 | 31 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | March 3, 2011 | 34 | 35 | 26 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | November 23, 2010 | 38 | 31 | 26 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | August 31, 2010 | 37 | 35 | 21 | 7 | |
Corporate Research Associates | May 31, 2010 | 37 | 35 | 24 | 4 | |
Corporate Research Associates | February 24, 2010 | 46 | 26 | 22 | 5 | |
Corporate Research Associates | December 1, 2009 | HTML | 53 | 22 | 21 | 4 |
Corporate Research Associates | August 29, 2009 | 60 | 18 | 16 | 6 | |
Election 2009 | June 9, 2009 | 45.24 | 27.20 | 24.54 | 2.34 | |
On election night, the Liberal Party formed a majority government by a comfortable margin. This was the first time the Liberals had formed government in Nova Scotia since 1999, and their first majority government victory since the 1993 election. From mid 2012, the Liberals had led every public poll and entered the campaign with a 20-point lead over the New Democratic Party (NDP).
While the Liberals had been relatively successful in the Annapolis Valley and on Cape Breton Island during the 2009 election, they were completely shut out of the South Shore, Fundy, and Central Nova Scotia. More importantly, the NDP had dominated the Halifax metropolitan area, winning 14 out of 20 seats. In 2009, the NDP had been able to count on a large number of ridings in and around Halifax, while achieving historic gains across the province, including in traditionally Progressive Conservative (PC) and Liberal areas of rural Nova Scotia. In 2009, the PCs fell from first place to third place in the Legislature, and were completely shut out of the Halifax metropolitan area.
In the 2013 election, NDP support collapsed across the province, as it lost all of its seats in Central Nova Scotia, three of its seats in Fundy, and three of its seats on the South Shore. However, the most important shift was in the Halifax metropolitan area, where NDP support dropped from 54.07% in 2009 to 31.29% in 2013. The party wound up losing 13 of its seats, as the Liberals won 18 of 20 seats in and around Halifax. Strong NDP areas in 2009, like Dartmouth, Central Halifax, and suburban areas north and east of the Harbour swung from the NDP to the Liberals. Among the casualties was Dexter, who lost his own seat to Liberal challenger Tony Ince by 21 votes. He was the first premier since Ernest Armstrong to be defeated in his own riding.
The NDP had very poor vote concentration in the 2013 election. In Halifax, where it won 31.29% of the vote, it won only two seats. While the party finished second in the popular vote ahead of the PCs, its support was spread out around the province and not concentrated in enough areas to translate into seats. Combined with its collapse in Halifax, this left the NDP with only seven seats to the Tories' 11.
The 36th Nova Scotia general election was held on August 5, 2003 to elect members of the 59th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The ruling Progressive Conservative Party, led by Premier John Hamm, was reduced to a minority government.
Alexa Ann McDonough, is a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Canada, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's (NSNDP) leader in 1980. She served as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature from 1981 to 1994, representing the Halifax Chebucto and Halifax Fairview electoral districts. She stepped down as the NSNDP's leader and as a member of the legislature in 1994. She subsequently ran for, and was elected, leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1995. McDonough was elected the Member of Parliament (MP) for the federal electoral district of Halifax in 1997. She stepped down as party leader in 2003, but continued to serve as an MP for two more terms, until 2008, when she retired from politics altogether. In 2009, she became the interim president of Mount Saint Vincent University and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in December of that year.
The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party is a progressive, social-democratic provincial party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is aligned with 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 faced electoral defeat in the 2013 election, losing 24 seats, including Dexter's seat. The current leader is Halifax Chebucto MLA Gary Burrill, who is credited with bringing the party back to its left-wing roots, after the centrist policies enacted by Dexter. The party currently holds 7 seats in the Legislature, and had its lowest showing in the popular vote since 1993 during the 2017 Nova Scotia general election.
The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, commonly called the PC Party, is a moderate, centrist political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. They have been historically associated with the "Red Tory" wing of Canadian conservatism. The party is currently led by Pictou East MLA Tim Houston.
The 37th 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.
Maureen MacDonald is a Canadian academic and politician. She represented the riding of Halifax Needham in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1998 to 2016. She served as the interim leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party from November 23, 2013 to February 27, 2016.
Trevor John Zinck is a Canadian former politician, a former member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who represented the riding of Dartmouth North as an Independent and a New Democrat. He was first elected for the New Democratic Party in the 2006 election, succeeding retiring NDP MLA Jerry Pye. He served as the Community Services critic for the NDP, and was re-elected in the 2009 election. Zinck pleaded guilty on June 17, 2013 to charges of fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust by a public officer and later resigned as a result.
Cecil Phillip Clarke is a politician in Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, and represented the riding of Cape Breton North in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, from 2001 to 2011 as a Progressive Conservative.
Alfred Wallace MacLeod is a Canadian politician. He represents the electoral district of Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. He is a member of the Progressive Conservatives.
Helen MacDonald is a Canadian politician. She represented the electoral district of Cape Breton The Lakes in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1997 to 1999. She was a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
The 38th 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.
Russell Vincent MacKinnon is a politician in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cape Breton West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1988 to 1995 and then from 1998 to 2006 as a Liberal and then Independent member.
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.
The 2017 Nova Scotia general election, formally the 40th Nova Scotia general election, was held on May 30, 2017, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
Timothy Jerome Houston is a Canadian politician, who was 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 serves as the Leader of the Opposition.
Karla Michelle MacFarlane is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2013 provincial election. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, she represents the electoral district of Pictou West. MacFarlane is a graduate of Husson University in Maine with an Associate Degree in Business Communications. In 2016, MacFarlane was named "Legislator of the Year" at the non-profit Springtide Collective’s Better Politics Awards.
The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia leadership election, 2018 took place on October 27, 2018, due to Jamie Baillie's announcement that he was stepping down as leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia on November 1, 2017. Baillie was to remain in the position until a new leader was elected, however on January 24, 2018, he announced his resignation with immediate effect due to "allegations of inappropriate behaviour".