Nova Scotia Liberal Party

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The Nova Scotia Liberal Party (officially the Liberal Association of Nova Scotia) is a centrist[citation needed] provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently holds two seats in the Legislature, under the interim leadership of Iain Rankin. The party was in power most recently from the 2013 election until the 2021 election.

Nova Scotia Liberal Party
LeaderIain Rankin (interim)
PresidentMargaret Miller
SecretaryDavid Mackeigan
Founded1883; 142 years ago (1883)
Headquarters5151 George Street
Suite 1400
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2T3
Youth wingNova Scotia Young Liberals
IdeologyLiberalism
Political positionCentre[citation needed]
National affiliationLiberal Party of Canada
ColoursRed
Seats in House of Assembly
2 / 55
Website
Official website
  • Politics of Nova Scotia
  • Political parties
  • Elections

The party is the only party in the province with uninterrupted presence in the legislature since confederation. It has formed the Government of Nova Scotia for 90 of the approximately 160 years since it became a province of Canada. It won 25 of the province's 42 elections, but was supplanted by the NDP as the official opposition for three consecutive elections in 1999, 2003 and 2006, and again in the most recent election in 2024.

Origins

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party produced 14 of the province's 29 premiers, including:

  • William Stevens Fielding - after a 12 year tenure as Premier (1884-96) went on to become the longest serving federal finance minister
  • George Henry Murray - whose premiership between 1896 and 1923 was the longest unbroken tenure for a head of government in Canadian history
  • Angus L. MacDonald - the only premier to have occupied the office over two non-consecutive terms, tenure broken by a stint as the naval services minister in MacKenzie King's wartime cabinet.

The party is descended from the pre-Confederation Reformers in Nova Scotia who coalesced around Joseph Howe demanding the institution of responsible government. The Liberals (Reformers) formed several governments in the colony between 1848 and 1867.

The party split during the debate on Confederation, with Howe and most other Liberals forming an Anti-Confederation Party, while supporters of confederation joined Tory Charles Tupper's Confederation Party. Howe, himself, initially opposed Confederation, but accepted it as a reality after initial attempts to scuttle it failed.

In 1868, Howe joined the pro-Confederation forces, serving for a time in the federal Cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald.

The Anti-Confederation Party took most of Nova Scotia's seats in the House of Commons of Canada in 1867, as well as forming the government of the new province under William Annand. The new, post-1867 Liberal Party was organised by Annand and his anti-Confederate forces, while the Conservative Party was organised by Tupper and supporters of Sir John A. Macdonald's coalition in the province.

Prior to 1956, the Nova Scotia Liberal Party had ruled the province for 76 of its 89 years, most of that time with fewer than five opposition members. It had also ruled prior to confederation, and was responsible for bringing the first responsible government to North America. From 1882 to 1925, the Liberals held power for an unbroken 43 years, the second longest serving political dynasty in Canadian history, behind the Alberta PCs.

Recent history

From 1956, the Tories gained significant ground with Robert Stanfield's reformation of the "Progressive Conservatives", and have successfully challenged the Liberals for control of the government. The Liberals faltered in the province at the beginning of the 21st century, and for a time were the third-largest party in the House of Assembly, behind the Tories and the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party. After the Nova Scotia Liberal Party's dismal performance in the 2006 election (and failing to win his own seat), leader Francis MacKenzie announced his resignation. He was succeeded by Stephen McNeil. In the 2009 election, the Liberals moved out of third-party status and formed the official opposition once again. In the 2013 election, the Liberals won a majority government, their first since the 1993 election under John Savage, and took office for the first time in 14 years. Under McNeil, a self-described fiscal conservative, the party pushed for balanced provincial budgets and took a firm stance against public sector unions.

In the 2009 election, Stephen McNeil led the Liberals to Official Opposition status, winning 11 seats.

In the 2013 election, the McNeil Liberals won a majority government, defeating the NDP government of Darrell Dexter.

In the 2017 election, the McNeil Liberals retained a reduced majority of 27 seats in the legislature.

On August 6, 2020, McNeil announced he would step down as party leader and that he would continue to act as premier and as the party's leader until a replacement was found. On February 23, 2021, Rankin became the 29th Premier of Nova Scotia, replacing McNeil, following a leadership election. Rankin called a snap election for August 17, 2021, which his Liberal Party lost. Rankin was personally re-elected in Timberlea-Prospect. In the wake of the defeat, Rankin stepped down as leader. Yarmouth MLA Zach Churchill was elected leader of the Liberal Party in the 2022 leadership election.

In the 2024 election, the Liberals suffered their worst defeat in history, winning only two seats total. Leader Zach Churchill lost his own seat, and resigned from his position as leader two weeks later, and Derek Mombourquette became the interim leader.

In December 2025, former leader Iain Rankin once again became party leader, taking over the interim role from Mombourquette.

Current elected politicians

Name Riding Year elected
Derek Mombourquette Sydney-Membertou 2015
Iain Rankin Timberlea-Prospect 2013

Party leaders

  • James B. Uniacke (1840–1854)
  • William Young (1854–1860)
  • Joseph Howe (1860–1864)
  • Adams G. Archibald (1864–1867)
  • William Annand (1867–1875)
  • Philip Carteret Hill (1875–1878)
  • William F. McCurdy (1878–1882) (house leader)
  • William Thomas Pipes (1882–1884)
  • William Stevens Fielding (1884–1896)
  • George Henry Murray (1896–1923)
  • Ernest Howard Armstrong (1923–1925)
  • William Chisholm (1925–1930)
  • Angus L. Macdonald (1930–1940)
  • A.S. MacMillan (1940–1945)
  • Angus L. Macdonald (1945–1954)
  • Harold Connolly (1954) (interim)
  • Henry Hicks (1954–1961)
  • Earl W. Urquhart (1961–1965) (house leader 1961–1962)
  • Gerald Regan (1965–1980)
  • Benoit Comeau (1980) (interim)
  • Sandy Cameron (1980–1985)
  • Vince MacLean (1985)
  • Bill Gillis (1985–1986) (interim)
  • Vince MacLean (1986–1992)
  • John Savage (1992–1997)
  • Russell MacLellan (1997–2000)
  • Wayne Gaudet (2000–2002) (interim)
  • Danny Graham (2002–2004)
  • Wayne Gaudet (2004) (interim)
  • Francis MacKenzie (2004–2006)
  • Michel Samson (2006–2007) (interim)
  • Stephen McNeil (2007–2021)
  • Iain Rankin (2021–2022)
  • Zach Churchill (2022–2024)
  • Derek Mombourquette (2024–2025) (interim)
  • Iain Rankin (2025–present) (interim)

Electoral performance

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Status
1867 William Annand 58.6
36 / 38
 21 1st Majority
1871 52.2
24 / 38
 12 1st Majority
1874 Philip Carteret Hill 55.0
22 / 38
 2 1st Majority
1878 45.1
6 / 38
 16 2nd Opposition
1882 None 51.8
24 / 38
 18 1st Majority
1886 William Stevens Fielding 54.7
28 / 38
 4 1st Majority
1890 52.2
29 / 38
 1 1st Majority
1894 51.9
25 / 38
 4 1st Majority
1897 George Henry Murray 55.0
34 / 38
 9 1st Majority
1901 56.7
36 / 38
 2 1st Majority
1906 53.2
32 / 38
 4 1st Majority
1911 51.1
26 / 38
 10 1st Majority
1916 50.4
31 / 43
 5 1st Majority
1920 44.4
29 / 43
 2 1st Majority
1925 Ernest Howard Armstrong 36.3
3 / 43
 26 2nd Opposition
1928 William Chisholm 47.2
18 / 43
 15 2nd Opposition
1933 Angus Lewis Macdonald 52.6
22 / 30
 4 1st Majority
1937 51.0
25 / 30
 3 1st Majority
1941 Alexander Stirling MacMillan 52.6
22 / 30
 3 1st Majority
1945 Angus Lewis Macdonald 52.7
28 / 30
 6 1st Majority
1949 51.0
27 / 37
 1 1st Majority
1953 49.0
22 / 37
 5 1st Majority
1956 Henry Hicks 159,666 48.2
18 / 43
 4 2nd Opposition
1960 147,951 42.6
15 / 43
 3 2nd Opposition
1963 Earl Wallace Urquhart 134,873 39.7
4 / 43
 11 2nd Opposition
1967 Gerald Regan 142,945 41.8
6 / 46
 2 2nd Opposition
1970 174,943 46.1
23 / 46
 17 1st Minority
1974 206,648 47.9
31 / 46
 8 1st Majority
1978 175,218 39.4
17 / 52
 14 2nd Opposition
1981 Sandy Cameron 139,604 33.2
13 / 52
 4 2nd Opposition
1984 129,310 31.3
6 / 52
 7 2nd Opposition
1988 Vince MacLean 186,007 39.6
21 / 52
 15 2nd Opposition
1993 John Savage 243,298 49.7
40 / 52
 19 1st Majority
1998 Russell MacLellan 158,620 35.3
19 / 52
 21 1st Minority
1999 128,795 29.8
11 / 52
 8 3rd Third party
2003 Danny Graham 128,417 31.5
12 / 52
 1 3rd Third party
2006 Francis MacKenzie 94,872 23.4
9 / 52
 3 3rd Third party
2009 Stephen McNeil 112,160 27.2
11 / 52
 2 2nd Opposition
2013 190,112 45.7
33 / 51
 22 1st Majority
2017 157,541 39.5
27 / 51
 6 1st Majority
2021 Iain Rankin 155,026 36.7
17 / 55
 10 2nd Opposition
2024 Zach Churchill 81,137 22.87
2 / 55
 14 3rd Third party

See also

  • List of Nova Scotia political parties
  • List of Nova Scotia premiers
  • 2022 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election
  • Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership elections

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