# 1970 Nova Scotia general election

The 1970 Nova Scotia general election was held on 13 October 1970 to elect members of the 50th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Liberal Party of Gerald Regan won the most seats but were one seat short of a majority. It is the only election in Nova Scotia's history in which the party who won the popular vote did not win the most seats.

## Results
### Results by party

| 23 | 21 | 2 |
| Liberal | Progressive Conservative | New Democratic |
Official results :
| Party | Party | Party leader | # of candidates | Seats | Seats | Seats | Seats | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote |
| Party | Party | Party leader | # of candidates | 1967 | Dissolution | Elected | Change | # | % | Change (pp) |
| | Liberal | Gerald Regan | 46 | 6 | 5 | 23 | +17 | 174,943 | 45.63% | +4.14% |
| | Progressive Conservative | George Isaac Smith | 46 | 40 | 41 | 21 | -19 | 177,986 | 46.43% | -5.96% |
| | New Democratic | Jeremy Akerman | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 25,259 | 6.59% | +1.40% |
| | Independent | Independent | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,464 | 0.38% | +0.24% |
| | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | 0 | | | | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 379,652 | 99.03% | -0.19% |
| Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | Blank and invalid ballots | 3,704 | 0.97% | +0.19% |
| Total | Total | Total | 117 | 46 | 46 | 46 | – | 383,356 | 100.00% | – |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | 453,727 | 77.32% | +0.32% |
Popular vote
PC
46.43%
Liberal
45.63%
New Democratic
6.59%
Independent
0.38% :
Seats summary
Liberal
50.00%
PC
45.65%
New Democratic
4.35% :

### Results by region

| Party name | Party name | Party name | HRM | Cape Breton | Annapolis Valley | South Shore | Fundy-Northeast | Central Nova | Total |
| Parties winning seats in the legislature ||||||||||
| | Liberal | Seats: | 9 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 23 |
| | Liberal | Popular vote: | 51.93% | 34.59% | 50.85% | 50.49% | 45.08% | 46.16% | 45.63% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Seats: | 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 21 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Popular vote: | 42.77% | 46.14% | 48.80% | 48.46% | 52.91% | 46.50% | 46.43% |
| | New Democratic Party | Seats: | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | New Democratic Party | Popular vote: | 5.30% | 17.76% | – | 1.06% | 2.01% | 7.34% | 6.59% |
| Parties not winning seats in the legislature ||||||||||
| | Independent | Popular vote: | – | 1.50% | 0.35% | – | – | – | 0.38% |
| Total seats: | Total seats: | Total seats: | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 46 |

## Retiring incumbents
### Progressive Conservative

* Edward Haliburton, Kings South
* James McKay Harding, Shelburne
* James A. Langille, Cumberland East
* William F. MacKinnon, Antigonish
* Donald C. MacNeil, Cape Breton South
* Edward Manson, Cape Breton West
* John I. Marshall, Annapolis East
* Robert Baden Powell, Digby
* Harley J. Spence, Lunenburg West

## Nominated candidates

Legend bold denotes party leader † denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest

### Valley

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Annapolis East | | Gerry Sheehy 2,836 54.36% | | Lloyd K. Hill 2,381 45.64% | | | | | John I. Marshall† |
| Annapolis West | | H. Robert Sanford 2,048 46.03% | | Peter M. Nicholson 2,401 53.97% | | | | | Peter M. Nicholson |
| Clare | | Paul J. Comeau 1,833 40.33% | | Benoit Comeau 2,712 59.67% | | | | | Benoit Comeau |
| Digby | | Gifford W. Lewis 2,142 42.46% | | Joseph H. Casey 2,903 57.54% | | | | | Robert Baden Powell† |
| Hants West | | Norman T. Spence 3,708 48.27% | | Robert D. Lindsay 3,974 51.73% | | | | | Norman T. Spence |
| Kings North | | Victor Thorpe 3,234 51.24% | | Glenn Ells 3,077 48.76% | | | | | Victor Thorpe |
| Kings South | | Harry How 2,722 57.55% | | Ed Aston 2,008 42.45% | | | | | Edward Haliburton† |
| Kings West | | Gordon Tidman 3,736 48.96% | | Frank Bezanson 3,735 48.95% | | | | Francis Keith Boates 160 2.10% | Gordon Tidman |

### South Shore

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Lunenburg Centre | | George O. Lohnes 4,040 45.43% | | Walton Cook 4,852 54.57% | | | | | George O. Lohnes |
| Lunenburg East | | Maurice L. Zinck 2,092 51.31% | | Eric Hagen 1,985 48.69% | | | | | Maurice L. Zinck |
| Lunenburg West | | Bob Levy 2,717 46.82% | | Maurice DeLory 3,086 53.18% | | | | | Harley J. Spence† |
| Queens | | W. S. Kennedy Jones 3,068 51.99% | | Harley Umphrey 2,833 48.01% | | | | | W. S. Kennedy Jones |
| Shelburne | | Bill Cox 3,321 43.74% | | Harold Huskilson 3,725 49.06% | | Aubrey Harding 547 7.20% | | | James McKay Harding† |
| Yarmouth | | Benoit Robichaud 4,896 25.16% | | Fraser Mooney 5,039 25.90% | | | | | Benoit Robichaud |
| Yarmouth | | George A. Snow 4,929 25.33% | | Jack Rogers 4,592 23.60% | | | | | George A. Snow |

### Fundy-Northeast

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Colchester | | Gerald Ritcey 8,012 24.56% | | Ross Hill 7,313 22.42% | | | | | Gerald Ritcey |
| Colchester | | George Isaac Smith 9,398 28.81% | | George Norrie 7,901 24.22% | | | | | George Isaac Smith |
| Cumberland Centre | | Raymond M. Smith 2,220 54.87% | | Bill H. Mont 1,611 39.82% | | John E. Burbine 215 5.31% | | | Raymond M. Smith |
| Cumberland East | | Roger Stuart Bacon 4,355 51.89% | | Leonard J. Dolan 3,142 37.44% | | James M. MacSwain 895 10.66% | | | James A. Langille† |
| Cumberland West | | D. L. George Henley 2,458 57.35% | | Thomas H. Tonner 1,828 42.65% | | | | | D. L. George Henley |
| Hants East | | Albert J. Ettinger 2,793 47.27% | | Jack Hawkins 3,115 52.73% | | | | | Albert J. Ettinger |

### Halifax/Dartmouth/Eastern Shore

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Halifax Atlantic | | John Buchanan 5,284 54.66% | | Bob Hayes 3,786 39.16% | | Charles Grineault 597 6.18% | | | John Buchanan |
| Halifax Chebucto | | James H. Vaughan 4,015 38.34% | | James L. Connolly 5,276 50.39% | | Burris Devanney 1,180 11.27% | | | James H. Vaughan |
| Halifax Citadel | | Donald MacKeen Smith 3,833 45.60% | | Ronald Wallace 4,572 54.40% | | | | | Donald MacKeen Smith |
| Halifax Cobequid | | Gordon H. Fitzgerald 5,427 42.69% | | George Riley 6,453 50.76% | | Bruno Dombrowski 833 6.55% | | | Gordon H. Fitzgerald |
| Halifax Cornwallis | | Richard Donahoe 3,891 39.27% | | George M. Mitchell 5,323 53.72% | | Barrett D. Halderman 694 7.00% | | | Richard Donahoe |
| Halifax Eastern Shore | | Murray Everett Ritcey 4,029 41.91% | | Alexander Garnet Brown 5,585 58.09% | | | | | Alexander Garnet Brown |
| Halifax Needham | | David MacKeen 2,887 37.05% | | Gerald Regan 4,514 57.92% | | Al Sinclair 392 5.03% | | | Gerald Regan |
| Halifax-St. Margaret's | | D. C. McNeil 4,729 39.74% | | Leonard L. Pace 6,152 51.69% | | Keith Jobson 1,020 8.57% | | | D. C. McNeil |
| Dartmouth North | | Gerald G. Wambolt 4,826 39.59% | | Glen M. Bagnell 6,614 54.26% | | Percy William Dares 750 6.15% | | | Gerald G. Wambolt |
| Dartmouth South | | Irvin William Akerley 5,213 49.57% | | D. Scott MacNutt 5,304 50.43% | | | | | Irvin William Akerley |

### Central Nova

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Antigonish | | Bill Shaw 3,594 45.72% | | Bill Gillis 4,002 50.91% | | Alex MacPherson 265 3.37% | | | William F. MacKinnon† |
| Guysborough | | Angus MacIsaac 3,035 47.86% | | Russell Pellerin 2,770 43.68% | | Al Newell 537 8.47% | | | Angus MacIsaac |
| Pictou Centre | | Donald R. MacLeod 4,922 43.75% | | Ralph F. Fiske 5,356 47.61% | | Derrick Peter Kearley 972 8.64% | | | Donald R. MacLeod |
| Pictou East | | Thomas MacQueen 2,981 47.18% | | A. Lloyd MacDonald 3,000 47.48% | | Charles E. Arbuckle 338 5.35% | | | Thomas MacQueen |
| Pictou West | | Harvey Veniot 2,729 51.00% | | Laurence Mawhinney 2,008 37.53% | | Robert Cormier 614 11.47% | | | Harvey Veniot |

### Cape Breton

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Cape Breton Centre | | Mike Laffin 3,680 50.54% | | Stewart Marsh 1,902 26.12% | | Alex MacDonald 1,700 23.35% | | | Mike Laffin |
| Cape Breton East | | Layton Fergusson 3,807 34.06% | | Bob MacKay 2,037 18.22% | | Jeremy Akerman 5,334 47.72% | | | Layton Fergusson |
| Cape Breton North | | Tom MacKeough 5,755 50.04% | | Sidney Oram 2,885 25.09% | | Len J. Arsenault 2,860 24.87% | | | Tom MacKeough |
| Cape Breton Nova | | Percy Gaum 2,866 42.45% | | Ronald DiPenta 959 14.20% | | Paul MacEwan 2,927 43.35% | | | Percy Gaum |
| Cape Breton South | | John Francis Burke 5,234 44.36% | | Vince MacLean 5,034 42.66% | | Don MacPherson 1,531 12.98% | | | Donald C. MacNeil† |
| Cape Breton West | | Kenneth Andrews 4,843 49.08% | | Allan Sullivan 5,024 50.92% | | | | | Edward Manson† |
| Inverness | | Norman J. MacLean 4,607 25.23% | | William N. MacLean 3,939 21.57% | | Jerry Yetman 556 3.05% | | Al Davis 1,304 7.14% | Norman J. MacLean |
| Inverness | | Joe Shannon 3,728 20.42% | | John Archie MacKenzie 4,124 22.59% | | | | | William N. MacLean |
| Richmond | | Gerald Doucet 3,439 55.67% | | Melvin J. Burt 2,411 39.03% | | Charles Joseph Gallant 327 5.29% | | | Gerald Doucet |
| Victoria | | Fisher Hudson 2,075 52.53% | | W. Harry F. Langley 1,700 43.04% | | Jessie Stone 175 4.43% | | | Fisher Hudson |