By The Canadian Press on November 26, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has led the Progressive Conservatives to a second consecutive majority government, having told voters he needed a new mandate to send a strong message to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Tories are leading or elected in 37 of the legislature’s 55 ridings.
With his party riding high in the polls, Houston called a snap election, saying a second term would strengthen his bargaining position with the leader of the unpopular federal Liberal government, especially when it comes to seeking a new deal on carbon pricing.
But the premier faced withering criticism from Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill and NDP Leader Claudia Chender, both of whom accused him of ignoring the first law his government passed in 2021, setting July 15, 2025, as the date for the next election.
In 2021, Houston said the law would “limit any perceived advantage by the government.”
Chender and Churchill – both contesting their first election as a party leader – accused the premier of breaking a promise on the first day of the fall campaign.
During the campaign, Houston offered voters a no-frills, stay-the-course platform that focused on the affordability crisis and the acute shortage of housing in the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.
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