Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse
65th General Assembly of Nova Scotia
Type
Type	Lower house (1758–1928) then unicameral house of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia
Sovereign	The lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada)
History
Founded	1758; 267 years ago (1758)
Leadership
Speaker	Danielle Barkhouse, PC since September 5, 2024
Premier	Tim Houston, PC since August 31, 2021
Leader of Opposition	Claudia Chender, NDP since December 10, 2024
Structure
Seats	55
Political groups	Government   Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia (43) Official Opposition   Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (9) Other Parties   Nova Scotia Liberal Party (2)   Independent (1)
Elections
Last election	November 26, 2024
Next election	TBD
Meeting place
Legislative Chamber, Province House, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Website
nslegislature.ca/

The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (French: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; Scottish Gaelic: Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature.^[1]

The assembly is the oldest in Canada, having first sat in 1758;^[2] in 1848, it was the site of the first responsible government in the British Empire. Bills passed by the House of Assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor^[3] in the name of the King of Canada.

Originally (in 1758), the Legislature consisted of the Crown represented by a governor (later a lieutenant governor), the appointed Nova Scotia Council holding both executive and legislative duties and an elected House of Assembly (lower chamber). In 1838, the council was replaced by an executive council with the executive function and a legislative council with the legislative functions based on the House of Lords. In 1928, the Legislative Council was abolished and the members pensioned off.

There are 55 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) representing 55 electoral districts.^[4] 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 originally 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.