HALIFAX — Voters in Nova Scotia will go to the polls months ahead of schedule after Premier Tim Houston called a snap election on Sunday for Nov. 26.
Houston did not talk with reporters after a short visit with the province’s Lt.-Gov. Arthur LeBlanc at his official residence in downtown Halifax. He quickly jumped onto a big, bright blue campaign bus sporting his image on the side and the words “Make it Happen.”
The premier was expected to speak at a rally at a pub in the Halifax suburb of Bedford later in the day. Liberal Leader Zach Churchill and NDP Leader Claudia Chender also had events planned Sunday in the provincial capital to kick-off their campaigns.
The early election call comes well ahead of the province’s fixed election date of July 15 , 2025, but is not a surprise.
Houston signalled back in June that he was no longer committed to the date, despite enshrining in the first piece of legislation his government passed after winning the 2021 election. He told reporters at the time that a call could come depending on the circumstances, although he wasn’t specific about what he was referring to.
“When something is so significant that I think it’s important for people to have their say, I wouldn’t say you have to wait because it doesn’t suit the fixed election date,” the premier said. “Events happen and you have to be mindful of events.”
At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature. The Liberals held 14 seats, the NDP had six and there was one Independent.
The Tories are looking for a second consecutive mandate from Nova Scotia voters after sweeping the Liberals from power in August 2021 -- a victory that was the result of a nearly single-minded focus on the need to fix the province’s ailing health-care system.
This time around, the opposition Liberals and NDP will highlight what they say has been the government’s failure to make good on the Tories' health-care promises, and their neglect of other pressing issues such as the province’s lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of living.
On the health file, the two main opposition parties are expected to zero in on the high numbers of people who still don’t have access to some sort of primary care, including a family physician. The province’s Need A Family Practice Registry -- seen as an important indicator of how well the health system is doing -- was updated earlier this month for the first time since June when it hit a record 160,234 people without a doctor.
New figures indicate a marked improvement, with 145,114 people on the registry.
The numbers are still far higher than the summer of 2022, when there were slightly more than 100,000 people on the list. However, those on the wait-list for a family doctor do have full access to virtual care through the Maple platform after the government made a concerted effort to expand the option.
The Tories have defended their health record by pointing to community clinics and collaborative practices that have given residents increased access to care. As well, they have said that since 2021 they have bolstered emergency medical care by adding more health workers and resources into the system.
As of September, Nova Scotia has added about 300 doctors to the provincial health system since September 2021, according to the provincial health department.
The Tories will likely try to persuade voters that they are on the right track in fixing health care and simply need more time to finish what’s been a daunting job.
Houston is also expected to run against the federal Liberals. Increasingly over the last few months the premier hasn’t missed an opportunity to complain about the burden he says Ottawa’s carbon pricing model has placed on Nova Scotians at the gas pumps.
Also high on the premier’s list of grievances is Ottawa’s refusal to pay the entire cost of the expensive work needed to protect the Chignecto Isthmus, the low-lying land link between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that is increasingly prone to severe flooding. One of Houston's other critiques against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the Liberal's unrealized plan to resettle thousands of asylum seekers across the country, including in Nova Scotia, a move Houston has characterized as “simply unacceptable.”
During a short 10-day sitting of the legislature in September the premier launched several attacks on the Opposition Liberals in an attempt to tie them to federal policies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2024.
The Canadian Press
