The 2024 Nova Scotia general election was held on November 26, 2024, to elect members to the

65th General Assembly of Nova Scotia The 65th General Assembly of Nova Scotia is the assembly of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly that was determined in the 2024 Nova Scotia general election. List of members Seating plan ''Current as of February 2025'' Membership changes in ...

. The election was held under

first-past-the-post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...

. The incumbent

Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, more commonly known as the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, is a political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. Like most conservative parties in Atlantic Canada, it has been histor ...

(PC) government, led by Premier

Tim Houston Timothy Jerome Houston (born April 10, 1970) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 30th and current premier of Nova Scotia since 2021, and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2017. He was first elected to the Nova Sco ...

since 2021, called a

snap election A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled. Snap elections in parliamentary systems are often called to resolve a political impasse such as a hung parliament where no single political party has a ma ...

and won a second consecutive majority government. It is the first time since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

that the PCs won over half of the popular vote, and a

supermajority A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fun ...

(i.e., greater than two-thirds) of seats in the General Assembly means that it can alter procedural rules without the collaboration of the other parties. In raw numbers (but not proportion of seats), this is the largest government caucus they have ever had. The

Nova Scotia New Democratic Party The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (Nova Scotia NDP) is a social democratic political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the provincial section for the province of the federal New Democratic Party. It was founded as the Co-operative Commonwe ...

, led by

Claudia Chender Claudia Chender (born July 29, 1976) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as the leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party since June 25, 2022. She was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2017 general e ...

, formed the official opposition for the first time since

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, though they narrowly came in third in votes. The

Nova Scotia Liberal Party The Nova Scotia Liberal Party (officially the Liberal Association of Nova Scotia) is a Centrist politics, centrist provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently hol ...

, led by Zach Churchill, recorded its worst result in party history. This election had the lowest turnout in Nova Scotia history, with only 45% of those eligible participating. This was the first Nova Scotia general election where less than half of eligible voters cast their vote.

Background

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 The 2021 Nova Scotia general election was held on August 17, 2021, to elect members to the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. In a major Upset (competition), upset, Tim Houston led the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, Pr ...

was set as 15 July 2025 with all subsequent elections to take place on the third Tuesday in July of the fourth calendar year following the previous election. However, the general assembly may be dissolved earlier by order of the

lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the representative in Nova Scotia of the monarch, who Monarchy in Nova Scotia, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of ...

on the advice of the

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

, which was the case for this election.

Incumbents not running for reelection

The following MLAs announced that they would not run in the election:

Timeline

* August 17, 2021 – The Progressive Conservative Association, led by

, wins the

, the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

becomes the official opposition, and the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

remains at third party status. * October 23, 2021 - Anthony Edmonds is elected leader and Jo-Ann Roberts is elected deputy leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia. * November 9, 2021 –

Gary Burrill Gary Clayton Burrill (born January 1, 1955)Burrill, Gary, 1955-
MemoryNS is a

leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a ...

for the party. * December 16, 2021 – Nova Scotians United becomes Nova Scotia's newest registered political party. * January 5, 2022 – Iain Rankin, leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, announces his resignation, triggering a

for the party. * June 25, 2022 –

is elected leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party. * July 9, 2022 – Zach Churchill is elected leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. * April 30, 2024 – The Atlantica Party is voluntarily deregistered by Elections Nova Scotia. * October 22, 2024 – Liberal Fred Tilley crosses the floor to the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives. * October 27, 2024 – Premier Tim Houston calls a general election for November 26, 2024. * November 6, 2024 – Candidate nomination deadline. * November 26, 2024 – General election held, resulting in a majority government for the Progressive Conservatives.

Campaign

Contests

Leaders' debates

Results

Two judicial recounts took place in December:

Results by party

Synopsis of results

: = Open seat : = Turnout is above provincial average : = Winning candidate was in previous Legislature : = Incumbent had switched allegiance : = Previously incumbent in another riding : = Not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature : = Incumbency arose from byelection gain : = Other incumbents renominated : = Previously an MP in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

: = Previously a member of another provincial/territorial legislature

Comparative analysis for ridings (2024 vs 2021)

Candidates by constituency

Legend
bold denotes party leader
† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election

Annapolis Valley

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, , , David Bowlby , , Carman Kerr , , Cheryl Burbidge , , Sara Adams , , , , , Carman Kerr , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Clare , , ,

Ryan Robicheau Ryan Robicheau (born July 8, 1993) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2024 Nova Scotia general election, 2024 general election, representing Clare (electoral district), Clare as a member of the ...

, , Ronnie LeBlanc , , Dre Taylor , , , , , , , Ronnie LeBlanc , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Digby-Annapolis , , , Jill Balser , , Joey Amero , , Shannon Long , , , , , , , Jill Balser , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Hants West , , , Melissa Sheehy-Richard , , Brian Casey , , Simon Greenough , , , , James Omand , , , Melissa Sheehy-Richard , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Kings North , , , John A. Lohr , , Richelle Brown Redden , , Gillian Yorke , , Dave Lowe , , , , , John Lohr , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Kings South , , , Julie Vanexan , , Mike Hamm , , Ramona Jennex , , Sheila G. Richardson , , , , , Keith Irving† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Kings West , , , Chris Palmer , , Brad Beardsley , , Paul Doerr , , Madeline Taylor , , , , , Chris Palmer

South Shore

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Argyle , , ,

Colton LeBlanc Colton Fraser LeBlanc (born June 14, 1992) , , Lynette Amirault , , , Colton LeBlanc , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Chester-St. Margaret's , , , Danielle Barkhouse , , Laura Mulrooney , , Brendan Mosher , , , , , Danielle Barkhouse , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Lunenburg , , , Susan Corkum-Greek , , Melissa Duggan , , Nick Jennery , , Frank Fawson , , , Susan Corkum-Greek , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Lunenburg West , , , Becky Druhan , , Jonathan Crouse , , Nicholas Piovesan , , Mitchell Thomas-Langford , , , Becky Druhan , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, , , Kim Masland , , Cathy DeRome , , Brian Skabar , , , , , Kim Masland , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Shelburne , , , Nolan Young , , Debbie Muise , , Bridget Taylor , , , , , Nolan Young , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Yarmouth , , , Nick Hilton , , Zach Churchill , , Gillian Rowley , , Adam Randall , , , Zach Churchill

Fundy-Northeast

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley , , , Scott Armstrong , , Gwynneth (Gwyn) Bellefontaine , , Janet Moulton , , , , , , , Larry Harrison† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Colchester North , , , Tom Taggart , , Dustin Rekunyk , , Christina McCarron , , Jillian Foster , , , , , Tom Taggart , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cumberland North , , Bill Dowe , , Kurt Ditner , , Tyson Boyd , , , , , Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin , , , Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cumberland South , , , Tory Rushton , , Liam MacDonald , , Larry Duchesne , , , , , , , Tory Rushton , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Hants East , , , John A. MacDonald , , Shannon MacWilliam , , Abby Cameron , , , , , , , John A. MacDonald , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River , , , Dave Ritcey , , Frank Johnston , , Cailen Pygott , , , , , , , Dave Ritcey

Central Halifax

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Clayton Park West , , , Adegoke Fadare , , Elizabeth Eustaquio-Domondon , , Wendy Hood-Morris , , , , ,

Rafah DiCostanzo Rafah DiCostanzo (born May 2, 1962) is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2017 provincial election. She announced that she would not be seeking reelection in October 2024. Early life and educatio ...

† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Fairview-Clayton Park , , Nicole Mosher , ,

Patricia Arab Patricia Arab
Nova Scotia Legislature is a Lina Hamid , , , , , Patricia Arab , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Halifax Armdale , , Craig Myra , , Ali Duale , , , Rod Wilson , , , , , Ali Duale , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Halifax Chebucto Halifax Chebucto is a provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It is one of several ridings within the Halifax Regional Municipality. It encom ...

, , Tonya Malay , , Gerard Bray , , , Krista Gallagher , , Jonathan Bradet-Legris , , ,

Gary Burrill Gary Clayton Burrill (born January 1, 1955)Burrill, Gary, 1955-
MemoryNS is a

Halifax Citadel-Sable Island , , Eleanor Humphries , , Rob Grace , , ,

Lisa Lachance Lisa Anne Lachance is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election. She represents the riding of Halifax Citadel-Sable Island as a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic ...

, , Karen Beazley , , , Lisa Lachance , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Halifax Needham Halifax Needham is a provincial electoral district in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It has existed since 1967, though its boundaries have changed periodically. Halifax Needham encompa ...

, , Trayvone Clayton , , Jon Frost , , , Suzy Hansen , , Amethyste Hamel-Gregory , , , Suzy Hansen

Suburban Halifax

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Bedford Basin , , , Tim Outhit , , Doris Robbins , , Ryan Lutes , , , , , Kelly Regan† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Bedford South , , , Damian Stoilov , , Braedon Clark , , Isaac G. Wilson , , Ron G. Parker , , , Braedon Clark , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Halifax Atlantic , , , Brendan Maguire , , Phil Chisholm , , Cathy Cervin , , Gadfly Stratton , , , Brendan Maguire , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Hammonds Plains-Lucasville , , , Rick Burns , ,

Ben Jessome Benjamin Thomas Jessome , , Terry J. Eyland , , Roger Croll , , , Ben Jessome , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Sackville-Cobequid , , Paul Russell , , Agatha Bourassa , , , Paul Wozney , , , , , Steve Craig† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Sackville-Uniacke , , , Brad Johns , , Thomas Trappenberg , , Lisa Blackburn , , , , , Brad Johns , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Timberlea-Prospect , , Trish MacDonald , , , Iain Rankin , , Rose Gillam , , Jane Matheson , , , Iain Rankin , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank , , ,

Brian Wong Brian Wong (born April 14, 1991) is a Canadian Internet entrepreneur. In 2010, Wong co-founded Kiip (pronounced "keep"), a company offering a mobile app rewards platform through which computer game players would receive real-world rewards from b ...

, , Elizabeth Booth , , Donna McCarthy , , Anthony Edmonds , , , Brian Wong

Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Eastern Shore

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cole Harbour , , , Leah Martin , , Tania Meloni , , Alec Stratford , , John E. McStay , , , , ,

Tony Ince Robert Anthony "Tony" Ince (born 1958) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2013 provincial election, representing the electoral district of Cole Harbour for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party where ...

† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cole Harbour-Dartmouth , , , Brad McGowan , , Vishal Bhardwaj , , Kayley Dixon , , , , , , , Lorelei Nicoll† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Dartmouth East , , , Timothy Halman , , Stacy Chesnutt , , Holly Fraughton , , , , , , , Tim Halman , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Dartmouth North , , Karina Sanford , , Pam Cooley , , , Susan Leblanc , , , , , , , Susan Leblanc , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Dartmouth South , , Bea MacGregor , , Barb Henderson , , ,

, , , , , , , Claudia Chender , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Eastern Passage , , , Barbara Adams , , Chris Peters , , , , , , Tammy Jakeman , , , Barbara Adams , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Eastern Shore , , ,

Kent Smith Frank Kent SmithGordon, Dr. Roger L. (2018). Supporting Actors in Motion Pictures: Volume II'. Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing. pp. 130, 131. . "Kent Smith: Frank Kent Smith was born on March 19, 1907, in New York City. ..He was marrie ...

, , Doyle Safire , , Don Carney , , Kevin Conrod , , , , , Kent Smith , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Preston , , ,

Twila Grosse Twila Rose Grosse (born 1961 or 1962) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2023 Preston provincial by-election. She is the first Black Canadian member of the Progressive Conservative Association ...

, , Carlo Simmons , , Colter (C.C.) Simmonds , , Andre Anderson , , , , , Twila Grosse

Central Nova

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Antigonish Antigonish ( ; ) is a town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland. It is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of Hal ...

, , , Michelle Thompson , , Sheila Sears , , John MacIsaac , , , , , Michelle Thompson , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Guysborough-Tracadie , , , Greg Morrow , , George Grant , , Deborah Martinello , , , , , Greg Morrow , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Pictou Centre , , , Danny MacGillivray , , Kris MacFarlane , , Mary Stewart , , , , , Pat Dunn† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Pictou East , , ,

, , Stephanie Quinn , , Vernon Theriault , , , , , Tim Houston , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Pictou West , , ,

Marco MacLeod Marco MacLeod (born November 20, 1988) is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova ...

, , Mary Wooldridge-Elliott , , Carol Ferguson , , Clare Brett , , , Marco MacLeod

Cape Breton

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier , , Darren O'Quinn , , Joleen Magliaro , , , Kendra Coombes , , , , , , , Kendra Coombes , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cape Breton East , , , Brian Comer , , Joe Ward , , Isabelle Lalonde , , , , , , , Brian Comer , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Glace Bay-Dominion , , , John White , , David Alexander MacLeod , , Kathy Chapman , , , , , , , John White , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

, , , Kyle MacQuarrie , , Jaime Beaton , , Joanna Clark , , , , , , , Allan MacMaster† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Northside-Westmount , , , Fred Tilley , , Danny Laffin , , Katelyn Armstrong , , , , , , , Fred Tilley , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, , , Trevor Boudreau , , Rochelle Heudes , , Marc Currie , , , , , , , Trevor Boudreau , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Sydney-Membertou , , Brian MacArthur , , ,

Derek Mombourquette Derek Mombourquette (born 1980) is a Canadian politician who has served as interim leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party since December 10, 2024. He represents the riding of Sydney-Whitney Pier in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Early life ...

, , Alison Aho , , Steven McGrath , , , , , Derek Mombourquette , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Victoria-The Lakes , , , Dianne Timmins , , Stephen MacAskill , , Samuel Stirling , , Adrianna MacKinnon , , Stemer MacLeod , , ,

Keith Bain Keith Leslie Bain (born October 24, 1952) is a Canadians, Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Victoria-The Lakes in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2006 to 2013 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Associ ...

†

Opinion polls

Voting intentions in Nova Scotia since the 2021 election

Opinon Polls for the 2024 Nova Scotia General Election

Notes

References

Opinion poll sources

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Politics, Canada

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

General election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

Nova Scotia general election Elections in Nova Scotia