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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Lack of federal-provincial emergency preparedness has led to ‘missed opportunities,’ N.S. premier says

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.