List of premiers of Nova Scotia

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Premier of Nova Scotia
Coat of arms of Nova Scotia
Incumbent Tim Houston since August 31, 2021
Seat	Halifax
Formation	1867

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia was a British colony with a system of responsible government since 1848, before it joined Canadian Confederation in 1867. Since Confederation, the province has been a part of the Canadian federation and has kept its own legislature to deal with provincial matters.^[1]

Nova Scotia has a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the House of Assembly. The premier is Nova Scotia's head of government, and the Queen in Right of Nova Scotia is its head of state and is represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. The premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of Nova Scotia, and presides over that body.^[1]

Members are first elected to the House during general elections. General elections must be conducted every five years from the date of the last election, but the premier may ask for early dissolution of the Legislative Assembly. An election may also occur if the governing party loses the confidence of the legislature by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion.^[2] Nova Scotia has had 27 individuals serve as premier since Confederation, of which 12 were Conservatives, 14 were Liberals, and one NDP.

Premiers of Nova Scotia[]

  Confederation Party   Nova Scotia Liberal Party   Nova Scotia New Democratic Party   Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia

Premiers of the Colony of Nova Scotia (1848–1867)

Premier (party)			Period	Assembly	Length of tenure
	1	James Boyle Uniacke (Liberal) (1799-1858)	February 2, 1848 April 4, 1854	18th[N 1]	6 years, 60 days
				19th
	2	William Young (Liberal) (1799-1887) (1st of 2 non-consecutive terms)	April 4, 1854 February 24, 1857		2 years, 322 days
				20th
	3	James William Johnston (Conservative) (1792-1873) (1st of 2 non-consecutive terms)	February 24, 1857 February 10, 1860		2 years, 348 days
				22nd[N 2]
	—	William Young (Liberal) (2nd of 2 non-consecutive terms)	February 10, 1860 August 3, 1860		175 days
	4	Joseph Howe (Liberal) (1804-1873)	August 3, 1860 June 11, 1863		2 years, 306 days
	—	James William Johnston (Conservative) (2nd of 2 non-consecutive terms)	June 11, 1863 May 11, 1864	23rd	335 days
	5	Charles Tupper (Confederation Party) (1821-1915)	May 11, 1864 July 4, 1867		3 years, 53 days

Premiers of the Province of Nova Scotia (1867–present)

Premier (party)			Period	Assembly	Elections	Length of tenure	Mandates
	1	Hiram Blanchard (Conservative) (1820-1874)	July 4, 1867 November 7, 1867	—	Designated July 4, 1867	88 days	0
	2	William Annand (Anti-Confederation-Liberal) (1808-1887)	November 7, 1867 May 11, 1875	24th	Elected September 18, 1867	7 years, 182 days	3
				25th	Re-elected May 16, 1871
				26th	Re-elected December 17, 1874 Resigned May 8, 1875
	3	Philip Carteret Hill (Liberal) (1821-1894)	May 11, 1875 October 22, 1878		Designated May 11, 1875	3 years, 157 days	0
	4	Simon Hugh Holmes (Conservative) (1831-1919)	October 22, 1878 May 25, 1882	27th	Elected September 17, 1878	3 years, 213 days	1
	5	John Sparrow David Thompson (Conservative) (1845-1894)	May 25, 1882 August 3, 1882		Designated May 25, 1882 Resigned July 18, 1882	54 days	0
	6	William Thomas Pipes (Liberal) (1850-1909)	August 3, 1882 July 28, 1884	28th	Elected June 20, 1882 Resigned July 15, 1884	1 year, 347 days	1
	7	William Stevens Fielding (Liberal) (1848-1929)	July 28, 1884 July 20, 1896		Designated July 28, 1884	11 years, 356 days	3
				29th	Re-elected June 15, 1886
				30th	Re-elected May 21, 1890
				31st	Re-elected March 15, 1894 Resigned July 18, 1896
	8	George Henry Murray (Liberal) (1861-1929)	July 20, 1896 January 24, 1923		Designated July 20, 1896	26 years, 188 days	6
				32nd	Re-elected April 20, 1897
				33rd	Re-elected October 2, 1901
				34th	Re-elected June 20, 1906
				35th	Re-elected June 14, 1911
				36th	Re-elected June 20, 1916
				37th	Re-elected July 27, 1920 Resigned January 24, 1923
	9	Ernest Howard Armstrong (Liberal) (1864-1946)	January 24, 1923 July 16, 1925		Designated January 24, 1923	2 years, 173 days	0
	10	Edgar Nelson Rhodes (Conservative) (1877-1942)	July 16, 1925 August 11, 1930	38th	Elected June 25, 1925	5 years, 26 days	2
				39th	Re-elected October 1, 1928 Resigned August 11, 1930
	11	Gordon Sidney Harrington (Conservative) (1883-1943)	August 11, 1930 September 5, 1933		Designated August 11, 1930	3 years, 25 days	0
	12	Angus L. Macdonald (Liberal) (1890-1954) (1st of 2 non-consecutive terms)	September 5, 1933 July 10, 1940	40th	Elected August 22, 1933	6 years, 309 days	2
				41st	Re-elected June 29, 1937 Resigned July 10, 1940
	13	Alexander Stirling MacMillan (Liberal) (1871-1955)	July 10, 1940 September 8, 1945		Designated July 10, 1940	5 years, 60 days	1
				42nd	Re-elected October 28, 1941 Resigned September 8, 1945
	14[3][4]	Angus L. Macdonald (Liberal) (2nd of 2 non-consecutive terms)	September 8, 1945 April 13, 1954		Designated September 8, 1945	8 years, 217 days	3
				43rd	Elected October 23, 1945
				44th	Re-elected June 9, 1949
				45th	Re-elected May 26, 1953 Died April 13, 1954
	15	Harold Connolly (Liberal) (1901-1980)	April 13, 1954 September 30, 1954		Designated April 13, 1954 Resigned September 30, 1954	170 days	0
	16	Henry Hicks (Liberal) (1915-1990)	September 30, 1954 November 20, 1956		Designated September 30, 1954	2 years, 51 days	0
	17	Robert Stanfield (Progressive Conservative) (1914-2003)	November 20, 1956 September 13, 1967	46th	Elected October 30, 1956	10 years, 297 days	4
				47th	Re-elected June 7, 1960
				48th	Re-elected October 8, 1963
				49th	Re-elected May 30, 1967
	18	George Isaac Smith (Progressive Conservative) (1909-1982)	September 13, 1967 October 28, 1970		Designated September 13, 1967	3 years, 45 days	0
	19	Gerald Regan (Liberal) (1928-2019)	October 28, 1970 October 5, 1978	50th	Elected October 13, 1970 to a minority government	7 years, 342 days	2
				51st	Re-elected April 2, 1974
	20	John Buchanan (Progressive Conservative) (1931-2019)	October 5, 1978 September 12, 1990	52nd	Elected September 19, 1978	11 years, 342 days	4
				53rd	Re-elected October 6, 1981
				54th	Re-elected November 6, 1984
				55th	Re-elected September 6, 1988 Resigned September 12, 1990
	21	Roger Stuart Bacon (Progressive Conservative) (1926-2021)	September 12, 1990 February 26, 1991		Designated September 12, 1990 Resigned February 26, 1991	167 days	0
	22	Donald William Cameron (Progressive Conservative) (1946-2021)	February 26, 1991 June 11, 1993		Designated February 26, 1991	2 years, 105 days	0
	23	John Savage (Liberal) (1932-2003)	June 11, 1993 July 18, 1997	56th	Elected May 25, 1993 Resigned July 18, 1997	4 years, 37 days	1
	24	Russell MacLellan (Liberal) (b. 1940)	July 18, 1997 August 16, 1999		Designated July 18, 1997	2 years, 29 days	1
				57th	Elected March 24, 1998 to a minority government
	25	John F. Hamm (Progressive Conservative) (b. 1938)	August 16, 1999 February 24, 2006	58th	Elected July 27, 1999	6 years, 192 days	2
				59th	Re-elected August 5, 2003 to a minority government Resigned February 24, 2006
	26	Rodney MacDonald (Progressive Conservative) (b. 1972)	February 24, 2006 June 19, 2009		Designated February 24, 2006	3 years, 115 days	1
				60th	Re-elected June 13, 2006 to a minority government
	27	Darrell Dexter (New Democrat) (b. 1957)	June 19, 2009[3] October 22, 2013	61st	Elected June 9, 2009	4 years, 125 days	1
	28	Stephen McNeil (Liberal) (b.1964)	October 22, 2013[5] February 23, 2021	62nd	Elected October 8, 2013	7 years, 124 days	2
				63rd	Re-elected May 5, 2017 Resigned February 23, 2021
	29	Iain Rankin (Liberal) (b. 1983)	February 23, 2021[6] August 31, 2021		Designated February 23, 2021	189 days	0
	30	Tim Houston (Progressive Conservative) (b. 1970)	August 31, 2021 Present	64th	Elected August 17, 2021	160 days	1

Living former premiers[]

As of December 2021, six former premiers are alive, the oldest being John Hamm (1999–2006, born 1938). The most recent former premier to die was Roger S. Bacon (1990–1991), on October 4, 2021.

Notes[]

References[]

General

Specific

External links[]

• Premier of Nova Scotia