The Government of Nova Scotia ( French : Gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Écosse , Scottish Gaelic : Riaghaltas Alba Nuadh ) is the government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia . The powers and structure of the province are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867 . In modern Canadian use, the term "government" refers broadly to the cabinet of the day (formally the Executive Council of Nova Scotia ) chosen from the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and the non-political staff within each provincial department or agency – that is, the civil service.
13-570: Nova Scotia has a unicameral legislature, the General Assembly , whose sole chamber is the House of Assembly . In total, 55 representatives are elected to serve the interests of the province. The political party that wins the largest number of seats in the legislature normally forms the Government, and the party's leader becomes premier of the province (the head of government). The current government of
26-641: Is the first minister to the lieutenant governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia . Following the Westminster system , the premier is normally the leader of the political party which has the most seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who is called upon by the lieutenant governor to form a government. As the province's head of government ,
39-480: Is the legislature of the province of Nova Scotia . It consists of one or more sessions and comes to an end upon dissolution (or constitutionally by the effluxion of time — approximately five years) and an ensuing general election. Today, the unicameral legislature is made up of two elements: the lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada ) and a legislative assembly called the House of Assembly . The legislature
52-648: The colony of Nova Scotia in January and February 1848. Howe's push for responsible government was inspired by the work of Thomas McCulloch and Jotham Blanchard almost two decades earlier. The functions of the sovereign, Charles III , King of Canada and King in Right of Nova Scotia , are exercised by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia . The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Governor General of Canada on
65-578: The final decisions of the Government. It is responsible for the operations and management of government as well as for making key policy decisions. The Executive Council is made up of Ministers, who are conventionally also members of the House of Assembly (MLAs). They are chosen by the Premier and appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. General Assembly of Nova Scotia The General Assembly of Nova Scotia
78-510: The head of government in Nova Scotia, the premier exercises a substantial amount of power. James B. Uniacke was the first Premier of Nova Scotia and led the government from 1848 to 1854. The current Premier, Tim Houston , was sworn in as premier on August 31, 2021. He is the 30th Premier of the Province of Nova Scotia since Confederation. The Executive Council (also known as Cabinet) makes
91-571: The movement for responsible government , a government that is dependent on the support of an elected assembly instead of a monarch or vicegerent. Under the guidance of Joseph Howe, who led the Reformers (Liberals), the first genuine political party appeared in the election of 1836. The first instance of responsible government in the British Empire outside of the United Kingdom itself was achieved by
104-741: The party's members of the Assembly. Government is carried out in the name of the king, represented by the lieutenant governor, acting on the advice of the Executive Council (the Governor in Council). The legislature was originally bicameral. From 1758 to 1838, it had an upper house called the Council , which also held executive functions. In 1838, the Council's executive functions were given to an Executive Council , and
117-600: The premier exercises considerable power. The current premier of Nova Scotia is Tim Houston , who was sworn in on August 31, 2021. His party, the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia , was elected in August 2021. The premier serves as president of the Executive Council (Cabinet). They choose the other members of the Cabinet, who are then appointed by the lieutenant governor . As president of
130-604: The province is led by the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, headed by Premier Tim Houston who was sworn into office in August 2021. In 1758, Nova Scotia was granted an elected assembly, becoming the first Canadian colony to enjoy a representative political institution. The representatives of Nova Scotia's House of Assembly were elected by a limited number of individuals who were required to own property and swear on certain oaths. This changed in 1836 when political reformer Joseph Howe started
143-576: The recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada , in consultation with the Premier of Nova Scotia . In the case of unconstitutional actions, the Lieutenant Governor has the power to dismiss a government by refusing a decision of the Executive Council. This power is rarely used as it would disrupt the affairs of the elected government. The Premier of Nova Scotia is the President of the Executive Council. Being
SECTION 10
#1732851258364156-470: The upper house was renamed the Legislative Council . That house was abolished in 1928. Data before 1984 summarized from: Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). "Appendix A: Assembly Lists". The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: a biographical directory (PDF) . Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia. ISBN 0-88871-050-X . Premier of Nova Scotia The premier of Nova Scotia
169-454: Was first established in 1758. Like at the Canadian federal level, Nova Scotia uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government , in which members are elected to the House of Assembly in general elections and the leader of the party with the confidence of the Assembly (normally the party with the most seats) becomes the premier of Nova Scotia and chooses the Executive Council from amongst
#363636