(Halifax) Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston led the Progressive Conservatives to a second straight majority government after telling voters he needed a new mandate to send a strong message to the first Minister Justin Trudeau.
Posted at 8:57 p.m.
Updated at 10:16 p.m.
The Conservatives were leading or elected in 42 of the 55 ridings of the Legislative Assembly, the New Democrats in nine, while the Liberals had obtained three and there was one independent, shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evening .
With the latest results, the New Democrats were poised to form the official opposition, replacing the Liberals, who appeared to be in free fall.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) campaign was marked by Claudia Chender’s strong performance during the televised debates. It appears that his interest in housing and the cost of living has resonated with voters.
On the Liberal side, five outgoing MPs chose not to run before the election was called and two MPs joined the Conservatives over the past year. The Liberals were also under pressure from the province’s south shore, where many fishing communities remain angry over what they see as the federal Fisheries Department’s failure to crack down on illegal lobster fishing.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly congratulated Tim Houston on his re-election in a statement.
The results were transmitted an hour late Tuesday evening due to a late start to voting at a polling station outside Halifax. The law requires that no results be published until all polling stations close.
Conservative Leader Tim Houston called a snap election on October 27, ignoring his own government’s election law, which, for the first time in Nova Scotia, imposed a fixed election date – July 15, 2025.
Mr. Houston justified himself by saying that he wanted to obtain a new, stronger mandate in order to stand up to the federal government on issues such as carbon pricing.
At the time of the dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 of the 55 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Liberals had 14, the New Democrats had six, in addition to an independent MP.
The Conservative victory breaks with a recent trend that has seen other provincial governments being battered by the electorate or overthrown.
British Columbia’s NDP Premier David Eby narrowly held on to power last month when voters outside Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland threw their support behind the Conservative Party of British Columbia, which barely existed 18 months ago.
Less than a week later, in New Brunswick, Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs lost his bid for a second term after adopting a series of socially conservative measures and alienating much of his caucus. . Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe won a significantly reduced majority on October 28, with his Saskatchewan Party all but shut out of the province’s major cities.
