Published Apr 07, 2025 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 5 minute readPremier Tim Houston and much of the Progressive Conservative caucus take part in question period at the Nova Scotia legislature in March 2025. Photo by Francis Campbell /The Chronicle HeraldDespite pushing controversial legislation across the finish line in the recently wrapped spring session of the Nova Scotia legislature, a new poll shows strong voter confidence in Premier Tim Houston and his Progressive Conservative government. Houston and the PCs “remain the party to beat in Nova Scotia, buoyed by general confidence in their approach to dealing with Donald Trump and growing Nova Scotia’s economy in a challenging time,” concluded Kelly Bennett, vice-president and Atlantic Canadian lead of the Abacus team.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“Four months since the last provincial election, there are no signs that voters regret handing Houston’s PCs a stronger majority, a supermajority,” the pollsters found.“The Houston government’s focus on economic development, especially in the natural resources and energy sectors, also seems to strike many as a practical way to strengthen the economy as Donald Trump continues to threaten it.”Fifty-six per cent of the 600 adult Nova Scotians surveyed from March 17 to 20, during the last week of the 22-day spring House session, said they would vote for the PCs if an election were to be held at the time they were polled. If a provincial election were held today in Nova Scotia, majority of people polled by Abacus Data would vote for Tim Houston’s PC Party. Photo by Abacus DataClaudia Chender and the NDP garnered 26 per cent support and the Liberals under interim leader Derek Mombourquette were top choice for 13 per cent. Those numbers did not change drastically from the November election that had the PCs earning 43 of the 55 provincial seats with 53 per cent of the popular vote, the Opposition NDP picking up nine seats with 22 per cent of the vote and the Liberals falling to two seats despite polling 23 per cent of the popular vote.Article contentHouston said at the end of the House sitting that he was very pleased with the legislation that was passed, including an interprovincial trade bill and laws to lift outright bans on uranium mining and natural gas fracking.“We have to grow the economy of this province if we want to continue to provide the services” Nova Scotians want and expect, Houston said.Houston touted the government’s $17-billion budget, with “almost $6 billion of investments in health care, an almost $2-billion investment in seniors, the school-lunch program and raising the minimum wage for Nova Scotians.” Hundreds rally against provincial government policies outside of Province House in Halifax on March 5, 2025. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldDuring a news conference on the last day of the sitting, Chender reiterated that the government was focused on consolidating control and ramming through legislative changes instead of addressing what Nova Scotians really care about, including the cost of living and housing.“We’ve heard the premier pat himself on the back for walking back some of his government’s worst ideas after public outrage and undermining the auditor general, letting partisan interests influence Nova Scotians’ access to information and a variety of other policies that he certainly didn’t run on in the most recent election,” Chender said.Article content“There are many overreaching policies that Nova Scotians protested, emailed and spoken out against that have now become law.”Mombourquette said the government came into the session wielding the hammer of a supermajority instead of exercising more empathy.“I thank Nova Scotians and I congratulate Nova Scotians for stepping up and paying attention to this,” Mombourquette said. “Nova Scotians and people around the world are very aware of what’s happening in the political sphere, whether it’s here or south of the border.”Hundreds of Nova Scotians rallied outside Province House on March 5 to voice their displeasure with what they referred to as “anti-democratic” legislation and changes that included the Bill 1 provision to grant government the authority to fire non-unionized civil servants without cause, Bill 6 that provides for the revocation of the fracking moratorium without consultation with the public or the Mi’kmaq, Bill 12 that gives government more control over universities, Bill 24 that gives government the power to override municipalities on decisions about infrastructure and Resolution 5 that changed debate and other legislature regulations.Article contentRecommended from Editorial Curtain falls on scrappy N.S. legislature session Nova Scotians will be affected by latest round of Trump tariffs, premier says N.S. ‘leading the way’ with interprovincial trade bill, premier says The Abacus poll, however, found that while Trump’s words and actions are definitely creating anxiety in Nova Scotia, the Houston government seems focused on action, trusting that strategic investments and policy moves will help the province weather whatever storms come their way. The preference for the PCs to lead the province did not coincide with any strong feeling that Nova Scotia was headed in the right direction. Just as many of those polled (36 per cent) thought things in Nova Scotia were on the right track as those who thought things were headed in the wrong direction.Only 31 per cent of those polled thought Canada was headed in the right direction, and only 10 per cent thought the world was on the right track. The poll breakdowns had the PCs far ahead of the other parties in every region of the province and with every demographic group. The NDP was second in those breakdowns and the Liberals third.Article contentChender’s NDP finished second in all segments, with Mombourquette’s Liberals consistently placing third.A deeper survey dive into how Houston and his expanded cabinet were dealing with particular issues drew mixed results.Sixty per cent of respondents approved of the government’s response to the second Trump term and the U.S. trade war, 51 per cent gave a nod to government on growing the provincial economy and 46 approved of health-care management. How people polled by Abacus Data fell about the way Premier Tim Houston and his ministers are handling specific issues. Photo by Abacus DataThe PC government has been consistently criticized by opposition parties and the province’s auditor general for a lack of transparency and accountability. Only two in five of poll respondents approved of the way Houston and the government consulted and communicated with the public, 38 per cent said the PCs were managing the provincial budget properly and 29 per cent approved of the government’s spending of taypayers’ money.Fewer than one in three of those surveyed approved of the government’s housing record, with more people disapproving than approving of the Houston government’s performance on making housing more available and affordable.More people polled had a positive impression than a negative view of Houston, giving him a net impression score of plus-22. Chender remained popular with a net impression score of plus-17 and Mombourquette dipped into the negative side.In contrast, Trump’s net impression among those polled was a minus-70, with three out of every four respondents saying they are “angry” with the American president’s tariff policy.Overall, the poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.Article content
Nova Scotians dont regret giving Houston, PCs fall mandate, poll shows
