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2013 Nova Scotia general election

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2013 Nova Scotia general election
← 2009 October 8, 2013 2017 →
← outgoing membersmembers →
51 seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
26 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout59.08%
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Stephen McNeil Jamie Baillie Darrell Dexter
Party Liberal Progressive Conservative New Democratic
Leader since April 28, 2007 October 26, 2010 June 2, 2002
Leader's seat Annapolis Cumberland South Cole Harbour
ran in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley (lost)
Last election 11 seats, 27.20% 10 seats, 24.54% 31 seats, 45.24%
Seats before 12 7 31
Seats won 33 11 7
Seat change Increase21 Increase4 Decrease24
Popular vote 190,112 109,452 111,622
Percentage 45.71% 26.31% 26.84%
Swing Increase18.51pp Increase1.77pp Decrease18.40pp
Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding. Riding names are listed at the bottom of the map.
Premier before election

Darrell Dexter
New Democratic

Premier after election

Stephen McNeil
Liberal

The 2013 Nova Scotia general election was held on October 8, 2013, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

The result of the election was a Liberal victory under the leadership of Stephen McNeil, with the party winning its first election since 1998. The Progressive Conservatives, under the leadership of Jamie Baillie, improved on their 2009 results and formed the Official Opposition, despite winning fewer votes than the New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP, which had won power for the first time in 2009 under the leadership of Darrell Dexter was reduced to third place and became only the second one-term government in the province's history, and the first since 1882. Dexter himself was defeated in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley by Liberal candidate Tony Ince.

Timeline

  • June 24, 2009 – The New Democratic Party under Darrell Dexter win 31 out of 52 seats. The Progressive Conservatives are reduced to 10 seats and Rodney MacDonald announces that he will step down as leader. Karen Casey is named as interim leader.
  • September 4, 2009 – Antigonish MLA Angus MacIsaac resigns his seat, citing family reasons.
  • September 10, 2009 – Former Premier Rodney MacDonald resigns his Inverness seat in the legislature.
  • October 20, 2009 – By-elections are held in Inverness and Antigonish. PC candidate Allan MacMaster and NDP candidate Maurice Smith are elected, respectively.
  • February 9, 2010 – Richard Hurlburt resigns from the legislature following revelations that he had spent his constituency allowance on a generator and a 40" television, which together cost over $11,000.
  • March 11, 2010 – Dave Wilson resigns from the legislature and is later charged and pleaded guilty.
  • March 25, 2010 – Trevor Zinck is suspended from the NDP caucus over problems with his constituency expenses.
  • June 22, 2010 – Two byelections are held to replace Hurlburt and Wilson in Yarmouth and Glace Bay, respectively. Zach Churchill is elected in Yarmouth and Geoff MacLellan is elected in Glace Bay.
  • August 16, 2010 – Karen Casey announces her resignation as interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
  • August 18, 2010 – Jamie Baillie is chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.
  • October 26, 2010 – Jamie Baillie wins a byelection and represents the constituency of Cumberland South.
  • January 10, 2011 – PC MLA Karen Casey crosses the floor to join the Liberal caucus.
  • February 14, 2011 – Trevor Zinck is announced as one of four people facing criminal charges in connection with the RCMP investigation into 2010s MLA expense scandal. Zinck is charged with fraud exceeding $5,000, breach of trust by a public officer, and 2 counts of theft over $5,000.
  • March 25, 2011 – Cape Breton North PC MLA Cecil Clarke resigns his seat to run in the 2011 federal election.
  • June 21, 2011 – PC candidate Eddie Orrell wins the by-election in Cape Breton North.
  • April 19, 2012 – Former MLA Dave Wilson is sentenced to 9 months in jail and to a period of 18 months probation for his role in the expenses scandal.
  • June 5, 2012 – The Atlantica Party is deregistered by Elections Nova Scotia.
  • July 27, 2012 – Former MLA Richard Hurlburt is sentenced to 12 months of house arrest, followed by 12 months of probation for his role in the expenses scandal.
  • May 29, 2013 – Manning MacDonald resigns his seat in the legislature as MLA for Cape Breton South.
  • June 19, 2013 – Trevor Zinck resigns his seat in the legislature after he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and breach of trust.
  • September 7, 2013 – Premier Darrell Dexter calls a general election for October 8, 2013.

Redistribution of ridings

In September 2012, the Electoral Boundaries Commission released its report which recommended changing the number of electoral districts from 52 to 51, including the abolition of the four protected districts of Argyle, Clare, Preston and Richmond. That move sparked significant controversy and debate. The Nova Scotia Legislature subsequently passed An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2012, c. 61 , taking effect upon the next election.

Several amendments were passed before the election:

  • to make minor boundary adjustments:
  • to rename certain electoral districts:

The net effect of the above changes is summarized thus:

Abolished ridings New ridings
Renaming of districts
New districts
Reorganization of districts
Division of districts
Merger of districts
  1. From parts of Halifax Fairview and Halifax Clayton Park.

Campaign

The election campaign began the week after Labour Day, when the legislature would normally have been expected to return to work, had there been no election campaign. As criticism or defence of government policy would dominate the agenda, and by convention electoral mandates are understood to last about four years, despite a lack of fixed election dates, the timing was not controversial.

The Muskrat Falls or Lower Churchill Project, its associated Maritime Link, and electricity policy generally, immediately emerged as the key issue in the early campaign. . Liberals emphasized Nova Scotia Power's (NSPI) dominance of power generation, and its ability to exclude alternatives through its near-monopoly ownership of the distribution network, covering 129/130 Nova Scotians. They also promised to remove a conservation charge, named for demand response programs that never materialized (though many passive conservation programs run by Efficiency Nova Scotia did prove effective) – instead proposing that NSPI pay for it from its return. Liberals and Conservatives criticized NSPI's unaccountable 9.2% guaranteed rate of return even for unwise investments. Conservatives acknowledged that it was under pressure to meet a tough renewable standard (which they would relax) but also promised to freeze rates. The NDP government continued to defend Muskrat Falls as the only viable alternative to replace coal-fired power, even though this project was before the Nova Scotia Utilities Review Board as of the election call, remained unchanged and this was reflected in their campaign materials – they criticized the Liberal plan as likely to lead to higher power rates. The basis for these criticisms was unclear. However, a similar attempt to open generation competition in New Brunswick failed, in part because New Brunswick Power retained monopoly control of the distribution and transmission network, which intimidates competitors and makes it easy in practice to exclude them.

Other issues in the campaign:

  • A proposed passenger ferry from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Portland, Maine, re-instituting summer service that ran for decades until the 1990s, replacing a car-focused service that ran to Bar Harbor, Maine until the NDP government cancelled it. This was of particular interest to South Shore candidates, especially Yarmouth. Associated issues include the collapse of all public transit on the South Shore (with the withdrawal of TryTown from operating public buses from Yarmouth to Halifax) and a general lack of transport strategy, that could leave some of the 130,000 passengers per year stranded. It remained unclear as of election time whether an announced deal to resume service May 1, 2014, had held, and what other transport policy applied Darrell Dexter had referred to stories from Yarmouth about the impact of the loss of ferries a "mythology" which effectively made this a campaign issue before the campaign had begun.

Results

↓
33 11 7
Liberal Progressive Conservative New Democratic
Summary of the 2013 Nova Scotia House of Assembly election
Party Leader Candidates Votes Seats
# ± % Change (pp) 2009 2013 ±
Liberal Stephen McNeil 51 190,112 77,952 45.71 18.51 18.51  11 33 / 51 22Increase
New Democratic Darrell Dexter 51 111,622 (74,934) 26.84 -18.41   31 7 / 51 24Decrease
Progressive Conservative Jamie Baillie 51 109,452 8,249 26.31 1.77 1.77  10 11 / 51 1Increase
Green John Percy 16 3,528 (6,108) 0.85 -1.49  
Independent 7 1,238 (1,558) 0.30 -0.38
Total 176 415,952 100.00%
Rejected ballots 3,139 1,619Increase
Turnout 419,091 5,220Increase 59.08% 1.17Increase
Registered voters 709,360 5,315Decrease

Results by region

Party name HRM C.B. Valley S. Shore Fundy Central Total
Parties winning seats in the legislature
  New Democratic Party Seats: 2 2 - 2 1 - 7
  Popular vote: 31.29% 25.16% 17.40% 24.68% 26.26% 31.51% 26.84%
  Liberal Seats: 18 3 4 3 3 2 33
  Popular vote: 48.72% 46.89% 52.02% 43.55% 40.68% 28.71% 45.71%
  Progressive Conservative Seats: - 3 2 1 2 3 11
  Popular vote: 18.62% 27.69% 27.58% 30.76% 32.01% 39.78% 26.31%
Parties not winning seats in the legislature
Green Popular vote: 0.98% 0.00% 2.11% 1.01% 1.05% 0.00% 0.85%
  Independents Popular vote: 0.39% 0.26% 0.89% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.3%
Total seats: 20 8 6 6 6 5 51

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 2013 Nova Scotia general election
Riding Winning party Turnout
 Votes
2009
(Redist.)
 1st place Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		2nd place Lib NDP PC Grn Ind Total
 
Annapolis   Lib   Lib 7,710 75.88% 6,320 62.20%   PC 65.47% 7,710 834 1,390 227 – 10,161
Antigonish   NDP   Lib 3,882 42.78% 1,014 11.17%   PC 67.05% 3,882 2,324 2,868 – – 9,074
Argyle-Barrington   PC   PC 3,935 54.69% 1,030 14.32%   Lib 60.00% 2,905 355 3,935 – – 7,195
Bedford   Lib   Lib 6,081 60.66% 4,055 40.45%   PC 56.92% 6,081 1,701 2,026 217 – 10,025
Cape Breton Centre   NDP   NDP 3,440 45.29% 158 2.08%   Lib 58.99% 3,282 3,440 873 – – 7,595
Cape Breton-Richmond   Lib   Lib 4,369 56.51% 2,673 34.57%   PC 71.62% 4,369 1,667 1,696 – – 7,732
Chester-St. Margaret's   NDP   NDP 3,341 35.25% 148 1.56%   PC 65.31% 2,943 3,341 3,193 – – 9,477
Clare-Digby   Lib   Lib 5,122 54.68% 2,211 23.60%   PC 68.01% 5,122 842 2,911 – 492 9,367
Clayton Park West   Lib   Lib 5,929 67.81% 4,414 50.49%   NDP 53.06% 5,929 1,515 1,299 – – 8,743
Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley   NDP   PC 3,304 42.27% 1,011 12.93%   NDP 58.45% 2,220 2,293 3,304 – – 7,817
Colchester North   PC   Lib 5,003 61.00% 2,841 34.64%   PC 59.72% 5,003 1,037 2,162 – – 8,202
Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage   NDP   Lib 3,057 40.62% 143 1.90%   NDP 54.61% 3,057 2,914 1,555 – – 7,526
Cole Harbour-Portland Valley   NDP   Lib 4,002 41.04% 21 0.22%   NDP 57.55% 4,002 3,981 1,769 – – 9,752
Cumberland North   NDP   Lib 2,944 39.74% 732 9.88%   PC 59.33% 2,944 1,974 2,212 279 – 7,409
Cumberland South   PC   PC 3,655 50.96% 771 10.75%   Lib 67.13% 2,884 486 3,655 147 – 7,172
Dartmouth East   Lib   Lib 5,469 63.85% 3,540 41.33%   NDP 59.93% 5,469 1,929 1,167 – – 8,565
Dartmouth North   NDP   Lib 2,953 44.06% 933 13.92%   NDP 45.55% 2,953 2,020 1,729 – – 6,702
Dartmouth South   NDP   Lib 4,049 46.24% 1,131 12.92%   NDP 55.82% 4,049 2,918 1,612 – 178 8,757
Eastern Shore   NDP   Lib 3,770 52.99% 1,848 25.97%   NDP 60.87% 3,770 1,922 1,423 – – 7,115
Fairview-Clayton Park   NDP   Lib 3,364 46.43% 1,090 15.04%   NDP 45.98% 3,364 2,274 1,294 177 136 7,245
Glace Bay   Lib   Lib 5,547 80.36% 4,546 65.86%   NDP 56.01% 5,547 1,001 355 – – 6,903
Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie   NDP   Lib 2,876 40.00% 509 7.08%   NDP 71.68% 2,876 2,367 1,947 – – 7,190
Halifax Armdale   NDP   Lib 3,208 49.57% 1,005 15.53%   NDP 56.95% 3,208 2,203 1,061 – – 6,472
Halifax Atlantic   NDP   Lib 3,244 42.46% 665 8.70%   NDP 54.79% 3,244 2,579 1,817 – – 7,640
Halifax Chebucto   NDP   Lib 4,352 49.87% 976 11.18%   NDP 56.15% 4,352 3,376 874 – 125 8,727
Halifax Citadel-Sable Island   NDP   Lib 2,966 47.66% 1,032 16.58%   NDP 48.64% 2,966 1,934 1,094 198 31 6,223
Halifax Needham   NDP   NDP 3,392 43.99% 277 3.59%   Lib 51.47% 3,115 3,392 834 369 – 7,710
Hammonds Plains-Lucasville   NDP   Lib 3,402 52.23% 1,818 27.91%   NDP 57.86% 3,402 1,584 1,423 – 104 6,513
Hants East   NDP   Lib 4,512 47.39% 1,100 11.55%   NDP 53.61% 4,512 3,412 1,597 – – 9,521
Hants West   PC   PC 4,468 50.75% 1,189 13.51%   Lib 60.12% 3,279 888 4,468 169 – 8,804
Inverness   Lib   PC 3,816 49.29% 568 7.34%   Lib 72.36% 3,248 678 3,816 – – 7,742
Kings North   NDP   PC 2,903 32.49% 21 0.24%   NDP 59.32% 2,787 2,882 2,903 362 – 8,934
Kings South   NDP   Lib 3,878 39.16% 367 3.71%   NDP 59.18% 3,878 3,511 2,263 252 – 9,904
Kings West   Lib   Lib 5,885 74.31% 4,610 58.21%   PC 55.06% 5,885 603 1,275 157 – 7,920
Lunenburg   NDP   Lib 3,182 37.81% 414 4.92%   NDP 63.24% 3,182 2,768 2,465 – – 8,415
Lunenburg West   NDP   Lib 3,931 43.11% 1,046 11.47%   NDP 58.79% 3,931 2,885 2,143 160 – 9,119
Northside-Westmount   PC   PC 4,179 44.03% 463 4.88%   Lib 58.47% 3,716 1,597 4,179 – – 9,492
Pictou Centre   NDP   PC 4,147 52.26% 1,774 22.36%   NDP 62.03% 1,415 2,373 4,147 – – 7,935
Pictou East   NDP   PC 3,714 48.05% 926 11.98%   NDP 67.26% 1,228 2,788 3,714 – – 7,730
Pictou West   NDP   PC 3,026 40.10% 438 5.80%   NDP 70.77% 1,933 2,588 3,026 – – 7,547
Preston-Dartmouth   Lib   Lib 3,326 58.39% 1,510 26.51%   NDP 54.10% 3,326 1,816 554 – – 5,696
Queens-Shelburne   NDP   NDP 3,066 37.10% 381 4.61%   PC 60.78% 2,302 3,066 2,685 211 – 8,264
Sackville-Beaver Bank   NDP   Lib 2,570 40.21% 201 3.15%   NDP 51.83% 2,570 2,369 1,452 – – 6,391
Sackville-Cobequid   NDP   NDP 2,983 38.45% 85 1.10%   Lib 53.06% 2,898 2,983 1,651 227 – 7,759
Sydney-Whitney Pier   NDP   NDP 5,084 49.37% 550 5.34%   Lib 58.46% 4,534 5,084 680 – – 10,298
Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg   PC   PC 4,178 43.75% 380 3.98%   Lib 64.08% 3,798 1,573 4,178 – – 9,549
Timberlea-Prospect   NDP   Lib 4,492 52.59% 2,324 27.21%   NDP 58.02% 4,492 2,168 1,588 293 – 8,541
Truro–Bible Hill–Millbrook–Salmon River   NDP   NDP 3,165 38.05% 483 5.81%   Lib 54.35% 2,682 3,165 2,470 – – 8,317
Victoria-The Lakes   PC   Lib 3,150 39.00% 303 3.75%   PC 69.73% 3,150 1,907 2,847 – 172 8,076
Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank   NDP   Lib 3,588 43.09% 948 11.39%   PC 60.15% 3,588 2,098 2,640 – – 8,326
Yarmouth   Lib   Lib 7,130 82.30% 5,897 68.07%   PC 65.41% 7,130 217 1,233 83 – 8,663
  1. including spoilt ballots
  2. Effect of 2012 restribution on previous election results, per "Transposition of Votes from the 2009 Provincial General Election and Subsequent By-Elections to 2012 Electoral District Boundaries" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  3. Larry Duchesne was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island and leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party.
  = Newly created districts
  = Open seat
  = Turnout is above provincial average
  = Winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = Incumbent had switched allegiance
  = Previously incumbent in another riding
  = Not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
  = Incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = Other incumbents renominated
  = Previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
  = Multiple candidates

Retiring incumbents

The following incumbent MLAs did not run for re-election:
Liberal
New Democratic

Nominated candidates

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Legend
bold denotes party leader
† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest

Annapolis Valley

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Annapolis Henry Spurr
834
8.17% 		Stephen McNeil
7,710
75.52% 		Ginny Hurlock
1,390
13.62% 		Ron Neufeld
227
2.22% 		Stephen McNeil
Clare-Digby Dean Kenley
842
8.90% 		Gordon Wilson
5,122
54.13% 		Paul Emile LeBlanc
2,911
30.77% 		Ian Thurber
492
5.20% 		Wayne Gaudet†
merged district
Harold Theriault†
Hants West Brian Stephens
888
10.03% 		Claude O'Hara
3,279
37.03% 		Chuck Porter
4,468
50.46% 		Torin Buzek
169
1.91% 		Chuck Porter
Kings North Jim Morton
2,882
32.09% 		Stephen Pearl
2,787
31.03% 		John Lohr
2,903
32.32% 		Mary Lou Harley
362
4.03% 		Jim Morton
Kings South Ramona Jennex
3,511
35.29% 		Keith Irving
3,878
38.98% 		Shane Buchan
2,263
22.75% 		Sheila Richardson
252
2.53% 		Ramona Jennex
Kings West Bob Landry
603
7.58% 		Leo Glavine
5,885
74.01% 		Jody Frowley
1,275
16.03% 		Barbara Lake
157
1.97% 		Leo Glavine

South Shore

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Argyle-Barrington Kenn Baynton
355
4.89% 		Kent Blades
2,905
40.05% 		Chris d'Entremont
3,935
54.25% 		Chris d'Entremont
Chester-St. Margaret's Denise Peterson-Rafuse
3,341
35.01% 		Tim Harris
2,943
30.84% 		Janet Irwin
3,193
33.46% 		Denise Peterson-Rafuse
Lunenburg Pam Birdsall
2,768
32.60% 		Suzanne Lohnes-Croft
3,182
37.48% 		Brian Pickings
2,465
29.03% 		Pam Birdsall
Lunenburg West Gary Ramey
2,885
31.48% 		Mark Furey
3,931
42.89% 		David Mitchell
2,143
23.38% 		Robert Pierce
160
1.75% 		Gary Ramey
Queens-Shelburne Sterling Belliveau
3,066
36.86% 		Benson Frail
2,302
27.67% 		Bruce Inglis
2,685
32.28% 		Madeline Taylor
211
2.54% 		Sterling Belliveau
merged district
Vicki Conrad†
Yarmouth Charles Webster
217
2.50% 		Zach Churchill
7,130
82.03% 		John Cunningham
1,233
14.19% 		Vanessa Goodwin-Clairmont
83
0.95% 		Zach Churchill

Fundy-Northeast

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley Gary Burrill
2,293
29.13% 		Tom Martin
2,220
28.20% 		Larry Harrison
3,304
41.97% 		Gary Burrill
Colchester North Jim Wyatt
1,037
12.57% 		Karen Casey
5,003
60.65% 		John MacDonald
2,162
26.21% 		Karen Casey
Cumberland North Brian Skabar
1,974
26.44% 		Terry Farrell
2,944
39.43% 		Judith Giroux
2,212
29.62% 		Jason Blanch
279
3.74% 		Brian Skabar
Cumberland South Larry Duchesne
486
6.73% 		Kenny Jackson
2,884
39.93% 		Jamie Baillie
3,655
50.61% 		Bruce McCulloch
147
2.04% 		Jamie Baillie
Hants East John MacDonell
3,412
35.58% 		Margaret Miller
4,512
47.05% 		Kim Williams
1,597
16.65% 		John MacDonell
Truro–Bible Hill–Millbrook–Salmon River Lenore Zann
3,165
37.75% 		Barry Mellish
2,682
31.99% 		Charles Cox
2,470
29.46% 		Lenore Zann

Central Halifax

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Clayton Park West Blake Wright
1,515
17.22% 		Diana Whalen
5,929
67.40% 		Jaime D. Allen
1,299
14.77% 		Diana Whalen
Fairview-Clayton Park Abad Khan
2,274
31.19% 		Patricia Arab
3,364
46.15% 		Travis Price
1,294
17.75% 		Raland Kinley
177
2.43% 		Katie Campbell
136
1.87% 		New Riding
Halifax Armdale Drew Moore
2,203
33.67% 		Lena Diab
3,208
49.04% 		Irvine Carvery
1,061
16.22% 		Graham Steele†
Halifax Chebucto Gregor Ash
3,376
38.25% 		Joachim Stroink
4,352
49.30% 		Christine Dewell
874
9.90% 		Michael Marshall
125
1.42% 		Howard Epstein†
Halifax Citadel-Sable Island Leonard Preyra
1,934
30.82% 		Labi Kousoulis
2,966
47.27% 		Andrew Black
1,094
17.43% 		Brynn Horley
198
3.16% 		Frederic Boileau-Cadieux
31
0.49% 		Leonard Preyra
Halifax Needham Maureen MacDonald
3,392
43.59% 		Chris Poole
3,115
40.03% 		Mary Hamblin
834
10.72% 		Kris MacLellan
369
4.74% 		Maureen MacDonald

Suburban Halifax

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Bedford Mike Poworoznyk
1,701
16.86% 		Kelly Regan
6,081
60.29% 		Joan Christie
2,026
20.09% 		Ian Charles
217
2.15% 		Kelly Regan
Halifax Atlantic Tanis Crosby
2,579
33.37% 		Brendan Maguire
3,244
41.98% 		Ryan Brennan
1,817
23.51% 		Michèle Raymond†
Hammonds Plains-Lucasville Peter Lund
1,584
24.23% 		Ben Jessome
3,402
52.04% 		Gina Byrne
1,423
21.77% 		Jonathan Dean
104
1.59% 		New Riding
Sackville-Beaver Bank Mat Whynott
2,369
36.75% 		Stephen Gough
2,570
39.87% 		Sarah Reeves
1,452
22.53% 		Mat Whynott
Sackville-Cobequid Dave Wilson
2,983
38.16% 		Graham Cameron
2,898
37.07% 		Peter Mac Isaac
1,651
21.12% 		John Percy
227
2.90% 		Dave Wilson
Timberlea-Prospect Linda Moxsom-Skinner
2,168
25.23% 		Iain Rankin
4,492
52.27% 		Bruce Pretty
1,588
18.48% 		Thomas Trappenberg
293
3.41% 		Bill Estabrooks†
Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank Percy Paris
2,098
25.03% 		Bill Horne
3,588
42.81% 		Brian Wong
2,640
31.50% 		Percy Paris

Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Eastern Shore

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage Becky Kent
2,914
38.41% 		Joyce Treen
3,057
40.30% 		Lloyd Jackson
1,555
20.50% 		Becky Kent
Cole Harbour-Portland Valley Darrell Dexter
3,981
40.51% 		Tony Ince
4,002
40.72% 		Greg Frampton
1,769
18.00% 		Darrell Dexter
Dartmouth East Deborah Stover
1,929
22.33% 		Andrew Younger
5,469
63.32% 		Mike MacDonell
1,167
13.51% 		Andrew Younger
Dartmouth North Steve Estey
2,020
29.86% 		Joanne Bernard
2,953
43.66% 		Sean Brownlow
1,729
25.56% 		Vacant
Dartmouth South Mary Vingoe
2,918
32.99% 		Allan Rowe
4,049
45.78% 		Gord Gamble
1,612
18.23% 		Jim Murray
178
2.01% 		Marilyn More†
Eastern Shore Sid Prest
1,922
26.77% 		Kevin Murphy
3,770
52.50% 		Stephen Brine
1,423
19.82% 		Sid Prest
Preston-Dartmouth Andre Cain
1,816
31.44% 		Keith Colwell
3,326
57.58% 		Andrew Mecke
554
9.59% 		Keith Colwell

Central Nova

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Antigonish Maurice Smith
2,324
25.39% 		Randy Delorey
3,882
42.40% 		Darren Thompson
2,868
31.33% 		Maurice Smith
Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie Jim Boudreau
2,367
32.56% 		Lloyd Hines
2,876
39.56% 		Neil DeCoff
1,947
26.78% 		Jim Boudreau
Pictou Centre Ross Landry
2,373
29.67% 		Bill Muirhead
1,415
17.69% 		Pat Dunn
4,147
51.84% 		Ross Landry
Pictou East Clarrie MacKinnon
2,788
35.82% 		Francois Rochon
1,228
15.78% 		Tim Houston
3,714
47.71% 		Clarrie MacKinnon
Pictou West Charlie Parker
2,588
34.01% 		Glennie Langille
1,933
25.40% 		Karla MacFarlane
3,026
39.77% 		Charlie Parker

Cape Breton

Electoral district Candidates Incumbent
NDP Liberal PC Green Independent
Cape Breton Centre Frank Corbett
3,440
45.03% 		David Wilton
3,282
42.96% 		Edna Lee
873
11.43% 		Frank Corbett
Cape Breton-Richmond Bert Lewis
1,667
21.39% 		Michel Samson
4,369
56.06% 		Joe Janega
1,696
21.76% 		Michel Samson
Glace Bay Mary Beth MacDonald
1,001
14.37% 		Geoff MacLellan
5,547
79.61% 		Tom Bethell
355
5.09% 		Geoff MacLellan
Inverness Michelle Smith
678
8.68% 		Jackie Rankin
3,248
41.58% 		Allan MacMaster
3,816
48.85% 		Allan MacMaster
Northside-Westmount Cecil Snow
1,597
16.69% 		John Higgins
3,716
38.83% 		Eddie Orrell
4,179
43.67% 		Eddie Orrell
Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg Delton McDonald
1,573
16.35% 		Josephine Kennedy
3,798
39.47% 		Alfie MacLeod
4,178
43.42% 		Alfie MacLeod
Sydney-Whitney Pier Gordie Gosse
5,084
49.07% 		Derek Mombourquette
4,534
43.76% 		Leslie MacPhee
680
6.56% 		Gordie Gosse
merged district
Vacant
Victoria-The Lakes John Frank Toney
1,907
23.44% 		Pam Eyking
3,150
38.71% 		Keith Bain
2,847
34.99% 		Stemer MacLeod
172
2.11% 		Keith Bain

Opinion polls

  • Voting intentions during the 2013 election campaign Voting intentions during the 2013 election campaign
  • Voting intentions since the 2009 election Voting intentions since the 2009 election
Polling Firm Last Day of Polling Link NDP Liberal PC Green
Election 2013 October 8, 2013 HTML 26.84 45.71 26.31 0.85
Forum Research October 7, 2013 PDF 26 48 23 3
Forum Research October 6, 2013 PDF 28 47 23 2
Abacus Data October 6, 2013 PDF 26 46 27 1
Forum Research October 5, 2013 PDF 28 47 23 2
Abacus Data October 5, 2013 PDF 27 48 24 1
Forum Research October 4, 2013 PDF 28 46 24 2
Abacus Data October 3, 2013 PDF 28 46 25 1
Corporate Research Associates October 3, 2013 HTML 31 47 20 2
Corporate Research Associates October 3, 2013 HTML 29 52 17 2
Abacus Data October 2, 2013 PDF 28 50 22 1
Corporate Research Associates October 2, 2013 HTML 27 54 17 2
Abacus Data October 1, 2013 PDF 26 51 23 1
Corporate Research Associates October 1, 2013 HTML 28 55 16 2
Corporate Research Associates September 30, 2013 HTML 27 56 15 2
Corporate Research Associates September 29, 2013 HTML 24 57 17 2
Corporate Research Associates September 28, 2013 HTML 26 56 17 2
Corporate Research Associates September 27, 2013 HTML 26 55 16 2
Corporate Research Associates September 26, 2013 HTML 27 56 16 2
Corporate Research Associates September 25, 2013 HTML 29 53 17 2
Corporate Research Associates September 24, 2013 HTML 27 51 20 2
Corporate Research Associates September 23, 2013 HTML 29 49 20 2
Corporate Research Associates September 22, 2013 HTML 29 49 21 2
Corporate Research Associates September 21, 2013 HTML 29 48 21 2
Corporate Research Associates September 20, 2013 HTML 29 47 21 2
Corporate Research Associates September 19, 2013 HTML 28 47 23 2
Corporate Research Associates September 18, 2013 HTML 28 48 23 2
Corporate Research Associates August 31, 2013 PDF 31 41 25 3
Corporate Research Associates May 30, 2013 PDF 26 45 26 3
Corporate Research Associates March 3, 2013 PDF 32 39 24 5
Corporate Research Associates November 30, 2012 PDF 29 41 27 3
Corporate Research Associates September 2, 2012 PDF 31 41 22 5
Corporate Research Associates June 4, 2012 PDF 35 33 28 4
Corporate Research Associates February 26, 2012 PDF 44 27 25 3
Corporate Research Associates November 29, 2011 PDF 45 22 29 4
Corporate Research Associates August 31, 2011 PDF 41 26 30 4
Corporate Research Associates May 30, 2011 PDF 42 22 31 4
Corporate Research Associates March 3, 2011 PDF 34 35 26 4
Corporate Research Associates November 23, 2010 PDF 38 31 26 4
Corporate Research Associates August 31, 2010 PDF 37 35 21 7
Corporate Research Associates May 31, 2010 PDF 37 35 24 4
Corporate Research Associates February 24, 2010 PDF Archived December 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine 46 26 22 5
Corporate Research Associates December 1, 2009 HTML 53 22 21 4
Corporate Research Associates August 29, 2009 PDF 60 18 16 6
Election 2009 June 9, 2009 PDF 45.24 27.20 24.54 2.34

Analysis

On election night, the Liberal Party formed a majority government by a comfortable margin. This was the first time the Liberals had formed government in Nova Scotia since 1999, and their first majority government victory since the 1993 election. From mid 2012, the Liberals had led every public poll and entered the campaign with a 20-point lead over the New Democratic Party (NDP).

While the Liberals had been relatively successful in the Annapolis Valley and on Cape Breton Island during the 2009 election, they were completely shut out of the South Shore, Fundy, and Central Nova Scotia. More importantly, the NDP had dominated the Halifax metropolitan area, winning 14 out of 20 seats. In 2009, the NDP had been able to count on a large number of ridings in and around Halifax, while achieving historic gains across the province, including in traditionally Progressive Conservative (PC) and Liberal areas of rural Nova Scotia. In 2009, the PCs fell from first place to third place in the Legislature, and were completely shut out of the Halifax metropolitan area.

In the 2013 election, NDP support collapsed across the province, as it lost all of its seats in Central Nova Scotia, three of its seats in Fundy, and three of its seats on the South Shore. However, the most important shift was in the Halifax metropolitan area, where NDP support dropped from 54.07% in 2009 to 31.29% in 2013. The party wound up losing 13 of its seats, as the Liberals won 18 of 20 seats in and around Halifax. Strong NDP areas in 2009, like Dartmouth, Central Halifax, and suburban areas north and east of the Harbour swung from the NDP to the Liberals. Among the casualties was Dexter, who lost his own seat to Liberal challenger Tony Ince by 21 votes. He was the first premier since Ernest Armstrong to be defeated in his own riding.

The NDP had very poor vote concentration in the 2013 election. In Halifax, where it won 31.29% of the vote, it won only two seats. While the party finished second in the popular vote ahead of the PCs, its support was spread out around the province and not concentrated in enough areas to translate into seats. Combined with its collapse in Halifax, this left the NDP with only seven seats to the Tories' 11.

References

  1. "Former N.S. health minister chosen interim Tory leader". CBC.ca. June 24, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  2. Hurlburt resigns amid spending flap, CBC News, February 9, 2010.
  3. "Zinck admits to drinking, gambling problems". CBC News, March 25, 2010.
  4. Jason, Malloy (August 16, 2009). "Bailiie to lead Progressive Conservative party". Truro Daily News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  5. "MLA spending probe in N.S. gets 4 charged". CBC News, February 14, 2011.
  6. "Ex-MLA Wilson sentenced to nine months in jail". CBC News, April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  7. chief electoral officer Richard Temporale (June 5, 2012). "The Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia Deregistered" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  8. "Former N.S. cabinet minister gets house arrest". CBC News. July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  9. "Vacationing Liberal MLA resigns seat". CBC News, May 29, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  10. "Embattled Independent MLA Trevor Zinck resigns". CBC News, June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  11. Toward Fair and Effective Representation (PDF). Electoral Boundaries Commission. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2013.
  12. "Contentious electoral map becomes law in N.S." CBC News. December 6, 2012.
  13. ^ "October 8, 2013 Nova Scotia Provincial General Election". electionsns.ca. Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  14. "Liberal MLA Wayne Gaudet won't run in next election". CBC News, January 18, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  15. "Theriault Not Reoffering in Digby-Annapolis" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Nova Scotia Liberal Caucus Office, June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  16. Queens MLA not reoffering in next election The Queens County Advance
  17. "MLA Howard Epstein not reoffering in next election". CBC News, January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  18. ^ "MacDonald takes over as finance minister". The Chronicle Herald, May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  19. NDP MLA Marilyn More won't reoffer CBC.ca
  20. "MLA Michele Raymond not reoffering". CBC News, November 23, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  21. "Hurlock gets PC nod". The Spectator, May 31, 2013.
  22. ^ PC Nova Scotia: Our Events. The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, July 8, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  23. Lohr wins PC nomination in Kings North. June 6, 2013.
  24. "Bruce Inglis gets PC nomination". The Queens County Advance, June 4, 2013.
  25. "Reverend acclaimed PC candidate in Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley". Truro Daily News, March 24, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  26. "Williams wins PC nomination in Hants East", July 30, 2013.
  27. "Liberals Nominate Joachim Stroink for Halifax Chebucto". liberal.ns.ca. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  28. Hamblin secures PC nomination in Halifax Needham. May 29, 2013.
  29. "Christie to run for Tories in Bedford". The Chronicle Herald, June 19, 2013.
  30. "Byrne secures nomination for Baillie's PC team". July 2, 2013.
  31. "PC Party of Nova Scotia".
  32. Peter MacIsaac candidate bio Archived September 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  33. Liberals nominate Bill Horne in Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank. April 26, 2013.
  34. Brian Wong to run for Baillie’s Tories in Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank. November 1, 2012.
  35. Joyce Treen to represent Liberals in Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. June 20, 2013.
  36. Gamble secures PC nomination in Dartmouth South. April 18, 2013.
  37. Eastern Shore Liberals nominate Kevin Murphy Archived June 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. May 7, 2013.
  38. Delorey nominated as Liberal candidate in Antigonish. The Casket, August 18, 2013.
  39. Liberals nominate Lloyd Hines in East Nova. April 26, 2013.
  40. Dunn secures Progressive Conservative nomination in Pictou Centre. January 29, 2013.
  41. Tim Houston wins Progressive Conservative nomination in Pictou East. November 28, 2012.
  42. Karla MacFarlane to run for Baillie’s Progressive Conservatives in Pictou West. July 5, 2012.
  43. Wilton Gets Liberal Nod in Cape Breton Centre. September 30, 2012.
  44. Lee, MacLeod secure Progressive Conservative nominations. January 26, 2013.
  45. Joe Janega to represent Tories in Cape Breton-Richmond. 101.5 FM The Hawk, August 2, 2013.
  46. Inverness Liberal-Jackie Rankin Archived October 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  47. Liberals nominate John Higgins in Northside-Westmount. April 22, 2013.
  48. Liberals nominate Josephine Kennedy in Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg Archived June 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. April 28, 2013.
  49. Sydney Liberal-Derek Mombourquette Archived October 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  50. Liberals nominate Pam Eyking in Victoria-The Lakes. April 27, 2013.

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