Back for another term
After a tight race, governing Liberals win Nova Scotia election
Nova Scotia voters gave Premier Stephen McNeil a second shot at governing on Tuesday, handing his Liberals an election victory after a term marked by two balanced budgets, labour strife and a rising chorus of complaints about an overburdened health-care system.
It wasn’t immediately clear if it was to be a second majority government - or a reduced minority at press time. Two-and-a-half hours after the polls closed, the Liberals were elected or leading in 23 ridings, the Tories were elected or leading in 19 and the NDP were elected or leading in nine ridings.
At least 26 seats are needed for a majority. There were tight races across the province, with the Conservatives making a strong showing.
Party supporters at McNeil’s election headquarters in Bridgetown cheered as the election was declared for the Liberals.
Party president John Gillis said he was pleased with the Liberal win, although its size
was still unclear.
“I think at this point we would have preferred to be a little further ahead than we are,” he said.
Gillis said it was clear the voters had sent the Liberals a message about health care. “Health care was a big issue for many Nova Scotians,” he said. “It certainly made an impact in some areas, particularly
in Cape Breton. As the government, majority or minority, we must face that and we must react strongly to it.”
At dissolution, the Liberals held 34 seats in the 51-seat legislature, the Progressive Conservatives had 10 and the NDP 5. There was one Independent and one seat was vacant. McNeil, the former owner of an appliance repair business in the Annapolis Valley, was re-elected in his riding of Annapolis, while Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie also won the northern Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland South. NDP Leader Gary Burrill won his seat, Halifax Chebucto, the riding he chose to contest after winning the party leadership last year without a seat. When the 30-day campaign began, the Liberals held a comfortable lead in the polls, as they had for much of their mandate. But the gap narrowed slightly as Baillie repeatedly complained about doctor shortages, emergency room closures and a lack of mental-heath services. For his part, McNeil boasted about an improved economy, two consecutive balanced budgets and a penny-pinching approach to public spending that enabled his government to table a spring budget that offers a modest tax cut for low- and middle-income earners. McNeil, whose Liberals won their first majority in 2013, said the tax cut would not have been possible were it not for his determination to rein in wage increases within the public sector.