Quick Look: the 3 party leaders vying to be Nova Scotia’s next premier

Here are the three main political leaders vying to be Nova Scotia’s next premier in November, including two men and one woman.

Two of them are taking their party into the election as leaders for the very first time.

Before the election was called, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat Nova Scotia legislature, the Liberals held 14 seats, the NDP had six and there was one Independent.

Tim Houston, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, is seeking a second mandate as premier.

Born: April 10, 1970.

Early years: Born in Halifax and raised in a military family, he grew up on military bases in Prince Edward Island, Ontario and British Columbia before returning to live in Halifax.

Education: A chartered accountant, he graduated with a bachelor of commerce from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax in 1992.

Family: He and his wife Carol have two children, Paget and Zachary.

Before politics: Worked as an accountant for Deloitte and in the reinsurance industry in Bermuda before returning to Nova Scotia in 2007.

Politics: Successfully sought the PC nomination in 2012 for the provincial riding of Pictou East and was elected to the legislature in 2013. He was re-elected in 2017 and in 2018 won the party leadership. He was sworn in as premier after the August 2021 provincial election.

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Quote: When asked this week whether an election was imminent. “It could be that we need to send a message to the federal government that Nova Scotians are united on what matters … and we need to take a strong position when we are negotiating with them on different issues.”

Churchill will be taking the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia into its first provincial election since he became leader in 2022.

Born: May 25, 1984.

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Early years: He was raised in Yarmouth, N.S., where his mother was a teacher and entrepreneur. He is a descendant of Lebanese immigrants.

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Education: He graduated with a bachelor of arts from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax in 2007.

Family: He and his wife Katie have two young daughters, Cecelia and Eva.

Before politics: He was a leader in student politics and after graduation was national director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

Politics: He was first elected to the provincial legislature in a 2010 byelection at the age of 26, representing the riding of Yarmouth. He was re-elected in 2013, 2017 and 2021. During the Liberals’ time in power after the 2013 election he held cabinet portfolios including health, education, natural resources and municipal affairs. He was elected party leader in July 2022.

Quote: When asked this week whether there is a legitimate reason for Premier Tim Houston to call an election. “I don’t think there is one right now. He has a majority government and he set a fixed election date in law … and we have to highlight that he’s willing to break that promise.”

Claudia Chender, leader of the Nova Scotia NDP, will be leading her first provincial campaign since taking the reins of the party in 2022.

Born: July 29, 1976.

Early years: Raised in Nova Scotia

Education: A lawyer by training, she graduated with a bachelor of arts from Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1999. She received her bachelor of laws from the University of Victoria in 2004.

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Family: She and her husband Jamie have three school-aged children.

Before politics: She worked as a legal educator with the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society and as an associate publisher for a non-profit media company and also worked as a consultant in organizational design and development.

Politics: She was first elected to represent the riding of Dartmouth South in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021. She was elected party leader in June 2022.

Quote: “He can try to convince Nova Scotians that this is about Ottawa, but it’s about Nova Scotia and here we have a government that was elected to fix health care and they have not done it,” Chender said when asked this week about Premier Tim Houston calling a potential election.

These reports by The Canadian Press were first published Oct. 27, 2024.