66th Nova Scotia general election

66th Nova Scotia general election
On or before December 7, 2029
56 seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
29 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
 
Leader Tim Houston Claudia Chender Iain Rankin
(interim)
Party Progressive Conservative New Democratic Liberal
Leader since October 27, 2018 June 25, 2022 December 8, 2025
Leader's seat Pictou East Dartmouth South Timberlea-Prospect
Last election 43 seats, 52.49% 9 seats, 22.17% 2 seats, 22.69%
Current seats 42 9 2
Incumbent Premier

Tim Houston
Progressive Conservative



The 66th Nova Scotia general election will elect members of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia to serve in the 66th General Assembly. The election must be held on or before December 7, 2029.[1]

Background

In accordance with Section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the next election must be held within five years of the previous election.[1] The general assembly may be dissolved earlier by order of the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia on the advice of the premier. Premier Tim Houston introduced a bill to repeal the 4-year fixed election date legislation on February 18, 2025.[2] The bill then received royal assent on March 26, 2025, reverting the province’s electoral cycle into 5 years.[3]

The last review of the province’s electoral boundaries took place in 2018-19. Reviews normally take place at least every 10 years. The review in 2025, however, was conducted as a result of an order by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, which ruled that the previous commission’s decision not to create an exceptional electoral district for Chéticamp violated Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In its interim report, submitted in August 2025 after public consultation, the commission presented three alternatives: keeping the status quo, with 55 electoral districts, and two other proposed scenarios, each with 56 electoral districts. After deliberations following a second round of public consultation, the commission is unanimously recommending in January 2026 a House of Assembly of 56 seats. The current district of Inverness would be divided into two new electoral districts: Chéticamp-Margarees-Pleasant Bay and Inverness-We’koqma’q.[4]

Timeline

2024

2025

  • December 8, 2025 Iain Rankin becomes interim leader of the Liberal Party.[7]
Membership changes in the 65th General Assembly
Date Name District Party Reason
  November 26, 2024 See list of members Election day of the 42nd Nova Scotia general election
  October 27, 2025 Becky Druhan Lunenburg West Independent Left the Progressive Conservative caucus

Opinion polls

Opinion polls
Polling firm Dates conducted Link PC Liberal NDP Green Others Margin of error Sample size Polling method Lead
Abacus data 21-28 Jan 2026 [p 1] 48 18 25 2 7 ±4.1% 601 Online 23
Liaison 4–6 Jan 2026 [p 2] 50 18 31 N/a 2 ±3.4% 800 IVR 19
Angus Reid 26 Nov – 1 Dec 2025 [p 3] 47 17 35 1 1 ±5% 296 Online 12
Abacus data 16–25 Sep 2025 [p 4] 52 16 23 4 4 ±4.1% 600 Online 29
Abacus data 23–29 May 2025 [p 5] 55 15 22 2 5 ±3.47% 800 Online 33
2024 general election 26 Nov 2024 [p 6] 52.50 22.73 22.15 0.83 1.17 N/a 357,048 N/a 29.77

Opinion poll sources

  1. ^ Coletto, Kelly Bennett, David (February 18, 2026). "Abacus Nova Scotia Poll: Houston's PCs Starting Winter Session at 48%". Abacus Data. Retrieved February 23, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Nova Scotia Political Outlook" (PDF). Liaison Strategies. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  3. ^ "Government satisfaction scores fall like winter snow as Canadians blanketed in cost-of-living challenges". Angus Reid Institute. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  4. ^ "Abacus Nova Scotia Poll: Houston's PCs Maintain Commanding Lead as Fall Session Opens". Abacus data. September 22, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  5. ^ "Tim Houston's PCs Hold Commanding Lead as Opposition Remains Divided". Abacus data. June 12, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  6. ^ "NS 2024 Election Results". Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2024.

References

  1. ^ a b Government of Canada, Department of Justice (November 9, 1999). "Charterpedia - Section 4 – Maximum duration of legislative bodies". www.justice.gc.ca.
  2. ^ "Nova Scotia bill would repeal fixed election date, increase politicians' pay". Global News. Global News. February 18, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  3. ^ An Act Respecting Government Organization and Administration (PDF). 65th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. 2025.
  4. ^ Government of Nova Scotia, 2025 Electoral Boundaries Commission (January 30, 2026). "Final Report Released".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Jerrett, Andrea; Lombard, Natalie (November 26, 2024). "N.S. Progressive Conservatives win second majority government; NDP to form opposition". CTVNews.
  6. ^ Jerrett, Andrea (December 10, 2024). "Zach Churchill steps down as N.S. Liberal leader after election loss". CTVNews.
  7. ^ Lombard, Natalie (December 8, 2025). "Iain Rankin takes over as interim leader of Nova Scotia Liberal Party". CTVNews.
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