The 66th Nova Scotia general election will elect members of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia to serve in the 66th General Assembly. The election must be held on or before December 7, 2029.
Background In accordance with Section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the next election must be held within five years of the previous election. The general assembly may be dissolved earlier by order of the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia on the advice of the premier. Premier Tim Houston introduced a bill to repeal the 4-year fixed election date legislation on February 18, 2025. The bill then received royal assent on March 26, 2025, reverting the province’s electoral cycle into 5 years.
The last review of the province’s electoral boundaries took place in 2018-19. Reviews normally take place at least every 10 years. The review in 2025, however, was conducted as a result of an order by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, which ruled that the previous commission’s decision not to create an exceptional electoral district for Chéticamp violated Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In its interim report, submitted in August 2025 after public consultation, the commission presented three alternatives: keeping the status quo, with 55 electoral districts, and two other proposed scenarios, each with 56 electoral districts. After deliberations following a second round of public consultation, in January 2026 the commission unanimously recommended a House of Assembly of 56 seats. The current district of Inverness would be divided into two new electoral districts: Chéticamp-Margarees-Pleasant Bay and Inverness-We’koqma’q.
Timeline November 26, 2024: Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia wins a majority government in the 2024 Nova Scotia general election. The New Democratic Party replaces the Liberal Party as the official opposition. December 10, 2024: Zach Churchill steps down as Nova Scotia Liberal Party leader. Derek Mombourquette becomes interim Liberal leader. December 8, 2025: Iain Rankin becomes interim leader of the Liberal Party.
Membership changes + Membership changes in the 65th General Assembly Seat Before Change Date Member Party Reason Date Member PartyLunenburg WestOctober 27, 2025Becky DruhanLeft to become an independentChéticamp-Margarees-Pleasant BayApril 9, 2026NoneNew electoral district createdJune 23, 2026Claude BourgeoisLunenburg WestMay 11, 2026Becky DruhanJoined the Liberal Party caucus
Opinion polls
Graphical Summary
Table of polls Opinion polls Polling firm Dates conducted Link PC Liberal NDP Green Others Margin of error Sample size Polling method Lead Narrative Research16–28 Sep 202631283614741Online 5Abacus Data28 Aug–5 Sep 2026 40223315±3.96%600Online 7MQO Research3–9 Jul 2026 38342241±3.9%632Online/Telephone 4Abacus Data25 Jun–2 Jul 2026 40223135±4.0%600Online 9Narrative Research10–17 Jun 202629234511733Online 16Abacus Data11–14 May 2026 38233135±3.96%610Online 7Viewpoints Research24–26 Apr 2026 37223613±3.5%803Online 1Abacus Data21–28 Jan 2026 48182527±4.1%601Online 23 Liaison Strategies 50 18 31 2 ±3.4% 800 IVR 19 Angus Reid 47 17 35 1 1 ±5% 296 Online 12 Abacus Data 52 16 23 4 4 ±4.1% 600 Online 29 Abacus Data 55 15 22 2 5 ±3.47% 800 Online 33 Canadian Election Study 45 29 21 2 3 288 Online 16 Abacus Data 56 13 26 4 600 Online 30 2024 general election 52.50 22.73 22.15 0.83 1.17 357,048 29.77
Opinion poll sources
References