Nova Scotia House of Assembly

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Nova Scotia House of Assembly
62nd General Assembly of Nova Scotia[1]
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Kevin MurphyLiberal
Since October 24, 2013
House Leader
Michel SamsonLiberal
Since January 31, 2012
Opposition House Leader
Chris d'EntremontPC
Since September 9, 2010
Structure
Seats 51
Nova Scotia Legislature Layout 2014.svg
Political groups
Governing Party

Opposition Parties

Elections
Last election
October 8, 2013
Next election
Next election
Meeting place
Nova Scotia House of Assembly Chamber.jpg
Legislative Chamber, Province House, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Website
nslegislature.ca/

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of the lieutenant governor (sometimes referred to as the governor) and the House of Assembly,[2] is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada. The assembly is the oldest in Canada, having first sat in 1758,[3] and in 1848 was the site of the first responsible government in a colony of the British Empire.

Originally (in 1758), the legislature consisted of the governor (later a lieutenant governor), the appointed Nova Scotia Council (upper chamber) (which met in the Red Chamber, now used for committee meetings and social functions) and the elected House of Assembly (lower chamber). The council had both executive and legislative functions. In 1838, the council was replaced by an executive council with the executive function and a legislative council with the upper chamber legislative function. In 1928, the legislative council was abolished.

There are 51 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) representing 51 electoral districts. Members nearly always represent one of the three main political parties of the province: the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, and Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.

The assembly meets in Province House. Located in Halifax Province House is a National Historic Site and Canada's oldest and smallest legislative building. It opened on February 11, 1819. The building was also the original home to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and the location of the "Freedom of the Press" trial of Joseph Howe. Its main entrance is found on Hollis Street in Halifax.

Party standings

A map showing how Nova Scotia's 52 electoral districts voted in 2009
Affiliation Members
     Liberal 33
     Progressive Conservative 10
     New Democratic 6
     Independents 2
Total
51
Government majority
7

Committees

Standing Committees

  • Assembly Matters
  • Community Services
  • Economic Development
  • Human Resources
  • Internal Affairs
  • Law Amendments
  • Private & Local Bills
  • Public Accounts
  • Resources
  • Veterans Affairs

Committees of the Whole House

  • Bills
  • Supply
    • Supply Subcommittee

Select Committee

  • Participation in the Democratic Process

recent former Select Committees

(final reports filed)

  • Electoral Boundaries
  • Fire Safety
  • National Unity
  • Petroleum Product Pricing
  • Workers' Compensation Act

Special Committee

  • to Review the Estimates of the Auditor General

Seating plan

Younger Porter Harrison Lohr Peterson-Rafuse
Mombourquette MacMaster Houston MacFarlane Orrell Zann Mancini
Wilton Rankin MacLeod Dunn BAILLIE d'Entremont Wilson MACDONALD Belliveau
Murphy
Churchill Bernard Regan Samson MCNEIL Whalen Glavine Delorey Casey MacLellan Colwell
Arab Farrell Furey Kousoulis Ince Diab Hines Stroink Wilson Horne
Maguire Miller Jessome Lohnes-Croft Ekying Irving Gough Treen

See also

References

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  2. Constitution Act, 1867, ss. 69, 71 & 88; Nova Scotia Legislature
  3. How Canadians Govern Themselves

External links