At a time of political turmoil on both sides of the border, a new survey finds that 56 percent of those surveyed support Premier Tim Houston’s government in Nova Scotia. In the 2024 provincial election, Houston’s Progressive Conservative government earned 53 percent of the popular vote, which means the governing party is more popular now than when they won a ‘supermajority’ with 43 of the 55 seats in the legislature last fall. We had the opportunity to have a conversation with Premier Houston about what this means for Nova Scotians and what Bluenosers can expect from his government over the next four years.
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Spotlight on Business: You were given a super majority in the recent provincial election. Why do you feel that Nova Scotians support you and your party? Do you think your majority will be an invitation for the opposition to accuse the government of an abuse of power?
Premier Tim Houston: I want to take this opportunity to thank Nova Scotians for re-electing our government and for electing new members. We were given a strong mandate to make things happen in Nova Scotia, and that’s exactly what we will do. It is humbling to receive this level of confidence from Nova Scotians, and I want them to know that we will continue to work hard every day to unlock our province’s potential.
Spotlight on Business: The landscape of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly has changed drastically. We now have an NDP opposition, and the Liberals are relegated to two members and are the third party. The NDP has but one of their seats, a CBRM MLA, in HRM. Do you anticipate the discussion in the House being centered on urban issues versus rural?
Premier Houston: We have elected members from Yarmouth to Sydney to the Halifax Regional Municipality. With this broad rural and city representation, we will ensure that different perspectives are heard as we make decisions.
Spotlight on Business: The drama is ever-changing in Ottawa these days. With polls showing that this race could be very close. How does the calling of the recent federal election impact how you negotiate with Ottawa to meet the goals of your mandate?
Premier Houston: Our government will work with whoever is elected in Ottawa to improve Nova Scotia. I sent a letter to the leaders of the two major political parties outlining Nova Scotia’s priorities for the federal government, which include:
- Protecting the Chignecto Isthmus
- Building a national energy corridor is in the best interests of Canadians from Coast to Coast to Coast
- Amending our childcare agreement to allow for some participation by private providers
- Helping to build a new, modern, safe pulp mill to create more jobs and economic prosperity in one of our traditional industries
- Investing in wharves and high-speed rail.
Spotlight on Business: Your government has already started to work on the $650-million investment to protect the Chignecto Isthmus, which is the crucial land bridge that connects Nova Scotia and New Brunswick permitting more than $100 million per day, or $35 billion a year, in trade crosses the Isthmus on the Trans-Canada Highway and CN Rail lines. You refused an offer to use $325M of the revenue generated from the federal carbon tax from former PM Trudeau on the premise that the federal government should pay for the entire project. If there is a change in government or the Liberals continue to with their form of the axe, the tax promise is carried out, would that change your position on the funding formula for the project?
Premier Houston: Protecting Nova Scotia’s main connection to the rest of Canada has never been more important as we take action to increase trade between provinces, this is why we have been doing the work to protect this area while we were waiting for the Federal Government to come to the table. Recently, our government reached a funding agreement with New Brunswick and the Government of Canada to protect the Chignecto Isthmus from the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change.
Under the agreement, Nova Scotia has committed to pay up to $162.5 million toward the project over the next 10 years. This represents 25 percent of the total project cost. Nova Scotia maintains its position that the federal government is fully responsible for this project and will maintain its reference to the court. However, it is in everyone’s best interests to strengthen and protect this interprovincial trade corridor as soon as possible.
Spotlight on Business: Your government worked continuously to make the necessary changes in our healthcare system to turn the corner on patient care. What are the two biggest accomplishments, in your opinion, from the first 3 and a half years? What are the next two milestones you hope to deliver? What are your long-term goals for your second term in office?
Premier Houston: Our government was elected on a promise to fix healthcare, and while there is still a lot of work to do, I’m incredibly proud of our accomplishments. The number of Nova Scotians without a primary care provider is going down, and we now have more access to care than ever before. As soon as we formed government, we got to work right away setting up more training opportunities for continuing care assistants, nurses, doctors, paramedics, and more. We also raised wages and negotiated fair bargaining agreements to show our healthcare workers that they are valued and encourage them to stay and work in Nova Scotia.
A personal significant accomplishment was passing the Patient Access to Care Act. This law does three things that are making a difference in healthcare; common sense credentialing; expansion of scope of allied health professionals; and red tape reduction. Now, a doctor in good standing in comparable jurisdictions like the UK, Australia, or other provinces can practice in Nova Scotia. And now, pharmacists can diagnose, treat and prescribe for a wide range of common illnesses – like strep tests, saving trips to a doctor or emergency room.
Another initiative I’m very proud of is in February we opened the Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence, a first of its kind in North America that will see internationally trained physicians get licensed faster to practise in communities across the province. And this Fall, the Cape Breton medical school campus is set to open. I’m looking forward to these investments resulting in more doctors practicing in Nova Scotia to meet the needs of today and keep pace with growing population to meet the needs of tomorrow.
Spotlight on Business: The Premiers have met to discuss the U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. What Nova Scotia industries are most vulnerable to large tariffs by the US? What options are you looking to include in retaliatory tariffs or measures against the U.S.?
Premier Houston: In the past few months, we’ve seen Canada’s relationship with the United States drastically evolve. We’ve lived on pins and needles, wondering if the U.S. would honour its trade agreements and respect our long-standing relationship as friends and allies. While it appears that Canada may not have been hit with the worst-case scenario in terms of tariffs, thousands of Nova Scotians will be impacted.
During this period of uncertainty, the initial non-tariff retaliatory measures we put in place will remain. This means we will continue to look for ways to put Nova Scotia and Canadian companies first as we review and cancel non-essential contracts with U.S. suppliers. The increased tolls at the Cobequid Pass for commercial vehicles from the U.S. will remain. American alcohol will remain off the shelves of the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. stores.
The message from this experience remains, and we have heard it loud and clear – putting too many eggs in one basket is never a good idea. This is why we will work hard to ensure that Nova Scotia becomes more and more self-reliant.
Spotlight on Business: Recently, we have seen Nova Scotians and really all Canadians getting on board with the “Made in Canada” movement. What is your government doing to break down interprovincial trade barriers? What conversations are you having with other Premiers to look at their trade policies within Canada and remove barriers that slow or prevent the movement of goods and services from one province to another?
Premier Houston: Nova Scotia is leading the country in removing interprovincial trade barriers. In March, we passed the Free Trade and Mobility within Canada Act, which will remove trade barriers from other provinces and territories that agree to do the same for Nova Scotia. This law quite simply says that product testing and professional certification that is good enough for another province is good enough for Nova Scotia, because we trust them, and we are all one country. Ontario has already agreed to table reciprocal legislation, and I look forward to more provinces having the courage to do the same.
Spotlight on Business: You have communicated that your government is looking to pursue natural resource development to provide the province with more revenue to address the needs of the public and increase prosperity. What is your government currently doing to generate more revenue from Nova Scotia’s natural resource sector?
Premier Houston: We must become more self-reliant to mitigate the risk that outside forces can throw us into economic turmoil. Nova Scotia is blessed with countless opportunities.
We can get our natural resources out of the ground while still holding companies accountable for being responsible environmental citizens and complying with our environmental laws and regulations.
Nova Scotia has incredible opportunities in natural gas, uranium, and critical minerals that can make Nova Scotia a generational success story, creating good-paying jobs for Nova Scotians.
By removing the blanket bans on entire industries of natural resources, we have sent the signal loud and clear that Nova Scotia is ready to have meaningful discussions on how these projects can be done safely.
Spotlight on Business: Premier Houston, we have covered a lot of topics, in closing, would you like for us to share anything with our readers that we have not spoken about?
Premier Houston: While there is a lot of uncertainty and fear with the ever-evolving tariffs, there is a lot of hope and optimism for Nova Scotia. Good things are happening in our province and the world is noticing. We are leading the country in healthcare reforms that have resulted in Nova Scotians seeing a real difference in accessing care. The country is looking to Nova Scotia to lead the breakdown of interprovincial trade barriers. And businesses locally and abroad are finally seeing Nova Scotia as a place where they can invest, grow our economy, and create good jobs for Nova Scotians. I’m optimistic about the future of our province.
by Ryan Myson