With the majority of polls now closed in the Nova Scotia election, voters will soon find out who will be their premier.
Most of the province’s polling stations closed at 8 p.m. AT; however, one polling station in the riding of Eastern Shore will be open until 9 p.m. because it was delayed opening Tuesday morning.
That means the results will also be delayed until 9 p.m., although Elections Nova Scotia will begin the vote count at 8 p.m.
Polls suggest Tim Houston and the Progressive Conservatives will not only stay in power for a second term, but gain power by moving from a majority to a supermajority.
In Nova Scotia, a supermajority holds two-thirds of the seats. Under the current makeup of the House of Assembly, that means 37 out of 55.
Two-thirds is also the fraction required to change the procedural rules of the House, so with a supermajority, the government doesn’t need the co-operation of opposition parties.
Houston called the snap election on Oct. 27, ignoring his government’s own election law, which had set a fixed election date of July 15, 2025. Analysts have said the early election call was to capitalize on the unpopularity of the Trudeau government.
On Monday, Houston said if he’s given a second mandate, it will strengthen his position to fight Ottawa on key issues affecting the province, including carbon pricing.
But his opponents say his reasons for calling the snap election were insincere, and that the main issues in voters’ minds are housing, affordability and health care — not negotiations with Ottawa.
Still, all three parties pushed those same three issues throughout the election campaign — and even made some of the same election promises — leaving voters the challenge of differentiating between the parties and their platforms, experts have said.
The NDP, which has languished in third place since losing power in the 2013 provincial election, is bullish on its chances of becoming the Official Opposition. Polls put the party, which had six seats at dissolution, in a close struggle with the Liberals for second.
On Monday, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the main issues at the ballot box are housing, health care and the cost of living.
“This is an election about who you trust to make decisions in your best interest,” she said. “There are lots of other issues that are very important to Nova Scotians, but those are the three they agree on, and the question is who can deliver change?”
Chender, who has completed her first campaign as NDP leader, said she’s been encouraged by the reception she’s received on voters’ doorsteps.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how willing Nova Scotians are to have a conversation,” she said. “It’s such an amazing opportunity and it’s always wonderful to be reminded how small we are [as a province] and how connected we are.”
Liberals say renters need relief
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Zach Churchill revisited his party’s promises on making life more affordable for renters.
Churchill said Monday the Tory government’s five per cent rent cap has done nothing to keep rents from skyrocketing, mainly because landlords have been using fixed-term leases as a loophole to raise rents far beyond the cap.
“They have not taken sufficient action to protect renters,” said Churchill.
Early voting down slightly from 2021
More than 160,000 early ballots had been cast by the time early voting wrapped up Monday evening.
That number is higher than the 2017 election — when around 113,000 early votes were cast — but slightly less than the total from 2021, which saw 167,000 early votes.
There are 788,427 registered voters in the province, according to Elections Nova Scotia.
At the time of the last vote in 2021, the Progressive Conservatives had 32 seats in the 55-seat legislature. The Liberals held 16 seats, the NDP six and there was one Independent.