Columnist David Johnson looks back at Election 2017.
A look back at Election 2017
We thought it would be a close election but nobody thought it would be that close, or that it would take so long to determine the outcome. But at 12:58 a.m. Wednesday morning, almost five hours after the close of polls on Tuesday evening, we finally knew the result.
And for all three major parties there are significant wins and losses.
It was ultimately a good night for Stephen McNeil and the Liberals. For the first time since 1988 a governing party has won back-to-back majority governments. The Liberals retain control of the Nova Scotia legislative assembly and they evaded being thrust into a minority government situation. So, the Liberals have the confidence of the assembly and they have the power to take their platform agenda and turn it into law and policy.
The Liberals remain in the driver’s seat and the opposition can watch, advise, warn and criticize but they can’t stop the McNeil government from advancing Liberal policy ideas.
But the Liberals were losers, in some important respects, on Election Night. With 27 seats compared to the 33 they had going into this election, they have a reduced majority. They lost seats in the rural mainland and Metro Halifax and they suffered some shocking defeats in Cape Breton – Dave Wilton defeated in Cape Breton Centre, Pam Eyking defeated in Victoria -The Lakes and Michel Samson defeated in Cape Breton-Richmond.
These losses should signal to the McNeil Liberals that although a plurality of Nova Scotians (39.5 per cent) support the broad direction of the government, some 60 per cent of Nova Scotians voted for parties other than the Liberals.
There was widespread dissatisfaction with the nature and working of the Liberal government voiced in this election, especially respecting health care, labour relations and the state of the economy outside of Metro Halifax, and this should serve as a warning to the Liberals that they have no room for complacency.
Jaimie Baillie and the Progressive Conservatives also scored some big wins. They increased their popular vote to 35.6 per cent, winning 17 seats, a gain of seven. These new seats, moreover, come from all parts of the province, including Metro Halifax, where they had no seats going into this election.
This election result solidifies Baillie’s hold on the Tory leadership but he and his party still have much work to do. For all their jubilation on Election Night they still lost. Being the Official Opposition is the consolation prize to those who failed to win power. And where they lost the most was in Metro Halifax. This city, like it or not, holds the keys to power for any party and the Tories still have work to do here.
And finally it was a very good night for Gary Burrill and the NDP. They staved off what could have been a disastrous showing by winning seven seats, including one for Burrill himself in Halifax Chebucto. The New Democrats retained seats in Halifax-Needham and TruroBible Hill, while gaining others in Dartmouth and Cape Breton Centre, won by Tammy Martin.
The New Democrats, however, still confront a harsh reality. They only won 21.4 per cent of the popular vote. This is six points lower than their tally in 2013. Fully 75 per cent of Nova Scotians turned their backs on the NDP, preferring parties that promised to spend more money on social and economic priorities while also maintaining a balanced operating budget. If the New Democrats wish to truly compete for power in this province, rather than just being a social conscience, they need to marry progressive socioeconomic policies with fiscal prudence.
“The Liberals remain in the driver’s seat …”