# 2013 Nova Scotia general election

The 2013 Nova Scotia general election was held on October 8, 2013, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
The result of the election was a Liberal victory under the leadership of Stephen McNeil, with the party winning its first election since 1998. The Progressive Conservatives, under the leadership of Jamie Baillie, improved on their 2009 results and formed the Official Opposition, despite winning fewer votes than the New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP, which had won power for the first time in 2009 under the leadership of Darrell Dexter was reduced to third place and became only the second one-term government in the province's history, and the first since 1882. Dexter himself was defeated in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley by Liberal candidate Tony Ince.

## Timeline

* June 24, 2009 – The New Democratic Party under Darrell Dexter win 31 out of 52 seats. The Progressive Conservatives are reduced to 10 seats and Rodney MacDonald announces that he will step down as leader. Karen Casey is named as interim leader.
* September 4, 2009 – Antigonish MLA Angus MacIsaac resigns his seat, citing family reasons.
* September 10, 2009 – Former Premier Rodney MacDonald resigns his Inverness seat in the legislature.
* October 20, 2009 – By-elections are held in Inverness and Antigonish. PC candidate Allan MacMaster and NDP candidate Maurice Smith are elected, respectively.
* February 9, 2010 – Richard Hurlburt resigns from the legislature following revelations that he had spent his constituency allowance on a generator and a 40" television, which together cost over $11,000.
* March 11, 2010 – Dave Wilson resigns from the legislature and is later charged and pleaded guilty.
* March 25, 2010 – Trevor Zinck is suspended from the NDP caucus over problems with his constituency expenses.
* June 22, 2010 – Two byelections are held to replace Hurlburt and Wilson in Yarmouth and Glace Bay, respectively. Zach Churchill is elected in Yarmouth and Geoff MacLellan is elected in Glace Bay.
* August 16, 2010 – Karen Casey announces her resignation as interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
* August 18, 2010 – Jamie Baillie is chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.
* October 26, 2010 – Jamie Baillie wins a byelection and represents the constituency of Cumberland South.
* January 10, 2011 – PC MLA Karen Casey crosses the floor to join the Liberal caucus.
* February 14, 2011 – Trevor Zinck is announced as one of four people facing criminal charges in connection with the RCMP investigation into 2010s MLA expense scandal. Zinck is charged with fraud exceeding $5,000, breach of trust by a public officer, and 2 counts of theft over $5,000.
* March 25, 2011 – Cape Breton North PC MLA Cecil Clarke resigns his seat to run in the 2011 federal election.
* June 21, 2011 – PC candidate Eddie Orrell wins the by-election in Cape Breton North.
* April 19, 2012 – Former MLA Dave Wilson is sentenced to 9 months in jail and to a period of 18 months probation for his role in the expenses scandal.
* June 5, 2012 – The Atlantica Party is deregistered by Elections Nova Scotia.
* July 27, 2012 – Former MLA Richard Hurlburt is sentenced to 12 months of house arrest, followed by 12 months of probation for his role in the expenses scandal.
* May 29, 2013 – Manning MacDonald resigns his seat in the legislature as MLA for Cape Breton South.
* June 19, 2013 – Trevor Zinck resigns his seat in the legislature after he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and breach of trust.
* September 7, 2013 – Premier Darrell Dexter calls a general election for October 8, 2013.

## Redistribution of ridings

In September 2012, the Electoral Boundaries Commission released its report which recommended changing the number of electoral districts from 52 to 51, including the abolition of the four protected districts of Argyle, Clare, Preston and Richmond. That move sparked significant controversy and debate. The Nova Scotia Legislature subsequently passed An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2012, c. 61 , taking effect upon the next election.
Several amendments were passed before the election:
* to make minor boundary adjustments:
      * An Act to Make Various Administrative Amendments to the Statutes of Nova Scotia, SNS 2013, c. 10, s. 4
* to rename certain electoral districts:
      * An Act to Amend Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2012, An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2013, c. 19
      * An Act to Amend Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2012, An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2013, c. 20
      * An Act to Amend Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2012, An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2013, c. 21
      * An Act to Amend Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2012, An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2013, c. 22
      * An Act to Amend Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2012, An Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the House of Assembly Act, SNS 2013, c. 23
The net effect of the above changes is summarized thus:
| Abolished ridings | New ridings |
| Renaming of districts ||
| Argyle | Argyle-Barrington |
| Bedford-Birch Cove | Bedford |
| Cape Breton North | Northside-Westmount |
| Cape Breton West | Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg |
| Guysborough-Sheet Harbour | Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie |
| Halifax Citadel | Halifax Citadel-Sable Island |
| Halifax Clayton Park | Clayton Park West |
| Halifax Fairview | Halifax Armdale |
| Preston | Preston-Dartmouth |
| Richmond | Cape Breton-Richmond |
| Truro-Bible Hill | Truro–Bible Hill–Millbrook–Salmon River |
| New districts ||
| | Fairview-Clayton Park |
| Reorganization of districts ||
| Annapolis Clare Digby-Annapolis | Annapolis Clare-Digby |
| Cole Harbour Dartmouth South-Portland Valley | Cole Harbour-Portland Valley Dartmouth South |
| Division of districts ||
| Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville | Hammonds Plains-Lucasville Sackville-Beaver Bank |
| Merger of districts ||
| Cape Breton Nova Cape Breton South | Sydney-Whitney Pier |
| Queens Shelburne | Queens-Shelburne |
* ↑ From parts of Halifax Fairview and Halifax Clayton Park.

## Campaign

The election campaign began the week after Labour Day, when the legislature would normally have been expected to return to work, had there been no election campaign. As criticism or defence of government policy would dominate the agenda, and by convention electoral mandates are understood to last about four years, despite a lack of fixed election dates, the timing was not controversial.
The Muskrat Falls or Lower Churchill Project, its associated Maritime Link, and electricity policy generally, immediately emerged as the key issue in the early campaign.. Liberals emphasized Nova Scotia Power's (NSPI) dominance of power generation, and its ability to exclude alternatives through its near-monopoly ownership of the distribution network, covering 129/130 Nova Scotians. They also promised to remove a conservation charge, named for demand response programs that never materialized (though many passive conservation programs run by Efficiency Nova Scotia did prove effective) – instead proposing that NSPI pay for it from its return. Liberals and Conservatives criticized NSPI's unaccountable 9.2% guaranteed rate of return even for unwise investments. Conservatives acknowledged that it was under pressure to meet a tough renewable standard (which they would relax) but also promised to freeze rates. The NDP government continued to defend Muskrat Falls as the only viable alternative to replace coal-fired power, even though this project was before the Nova Scotia Utilities Review Board as of the election call, remained unchanged and this was reflected in their campaign materials – they criticized the Liberal plan as likely to lead to higher power rates. The basis for these criticisms was unclear. However, a similar attempt to open generation competition in New Brunswick failed, in part because New Brunswick Power retained monopoly control of the distribution and transmission network, which intimidates competitors and makes it easy in practice to exclude them.
Other issues in the campaign:
* A proposed passenger ferry from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Portland, Maine, re-instituting summer service that ran for decades until the 1990s, replacing a car-focused service that ran to Bar Harbor, Maine until the NDP government cancelled it. This was of particular interest to South Shore candidates, especially Yarmouth. Associated issues include the collapse of all public transit on the South Shore (with the withdrawal of TryTown from operating public buses from Yarmouth to Halifax) and a general lack of transport strategy, that could leave some of the 130,000 passengers per year stranded. It remained unclear as of election time whether an announced deal to resume service May 1, 2014, had held, and what other transport policy applied Darrell Dexter had referred to stories from Yarmouth about the impact of the loss of ferries a "mythology" which effectively made this a campaign issue before the campaign had begun.

## Results

| 33 | 11 | 7 |
| Liberal | Progressive Conservative | New Democratic |
Summary of the 2013 Nova Scotia House of Assembly election :
| Party | Party | Leader | Candidates | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Seats | Seats | Seats |
| Party | Party | Leader | Candidates | # | ± | % | Change (pp) | Change (pp) | Change (pp) | 2009 | 2013 | ± |
| | Liberal | Stephen McNeil | 51 | 190,112 | 77,952 | 45.71 | 18.51 | | 18.51 | 11 | 33 / 51 | 22 |
| | New Democratic | Darrell Dexter | 51 | 111,622 | (74,934) | 26.84 | -18.41 | | | 31 | 7 / 51 | 24 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jamie Baillie | 51 | 109,452 | 8,249 | 26.31 | 1.77 | | 1.77 | 10 | 11 / 51 | 1 |
| | Green | John Percy | 16 | 3,528 | (6,108) | 0.85 | -1.49 | | |
| | Independent | | 7 | 1,238 | (1,558) | 0.30 | -0.38 |
| Total | Total | Total | 176 | 415,952 | 415,952 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 3,139 | 1,619 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 419,091 | 5,220 | 59.08% | 1.17 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 709,360 | 5,315 |

### Results by region

| Party name | Party name | Party name | HRM | C.B. | Valley | S. Shore | Fundy | Central | Total |
| Parties winning seats in the legislature ||||||||||
| | New Democratic Party | Seats: | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 7 |
| | New Democratic Party | Popular vote: | 31.29% | 25.16% | 17.40% | 24.68% | 26.26% | 31.51% | 26.84% |
| | Liberal | Seats: | 18 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 33 |
| | Liberal | Popular vote: | 48.72% | 46.89% | 52.02% | 43.55% | 40.68% | 28.71% | 45.71% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Seats: | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Popular vote: | 18.62% | 27.69% | 27.58% | 30.76% | 32.01% | 39.78% | 26.31% |
| Parties not winning seats in the legislature ||||||||||
| | Green | Popular vote: | 0.98% | 0.00% | 2.11% | 1.01% | 1.05% | 0.00% | 0.85% |
| | Independents | Popular vote: | 0.39% | 0.26% | 0.89% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.3% |
| Total seats: | Total seats: | Total seats: | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 51 |

### Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 2013 Nova Scotia general election :
| Riding | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Turnout | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Riding | 2009 (Redist.) | 2009 (Redist.) | 1st place | 1st place | Votes | Share | Margin # | Margin % | 2nd place | 2nd place | Turnout | Lib | NDP | PC | Grn | Ind | Total |
| Annapolis | | Lib | | Lib | 7,710 | 75.88% | 6,320 | 62.20% | | PC | 65.47% | 7,710 | 834 | 1,390 | 227 | – | 10,161 |
| Antigonish | | NDP | | Lib | 3,882 | 42.78% | 1,014 | 11.17% | | PC | 67.05% | 3,882 | 2,324 | 2,868 | – | – | 9,074 |
| Argyle-Barrington | | PC | | PC | 3,935 | 54.69% | 1,030 | 14.32% | | Lib | 60.00% | 2,905 | 355 | 3,935 | – | – | 7,195 |
| Bedford | | Lib | | Lib | 6,081 | 60.66% | 4,055 | 40.45% | | PC | 56.92% | 6,081 | 1,701 | 2,026 | 217 | – | 10,025 |
| Cape Breton Centre | | NDP | | NDP | 3,440 | 45.29% | 158 | 2.08% | | Lib | 58.99% | 3,282 | 3,440 | 873 | – | – | 7,595 |
| Cape Breton-Richmond | | Lib | | Lib | 4,369 | 56.51% | 2,673 | 34.57% | | PC | 71.62% | 4,369 | 1,667 | 1,696 | – | – | 7,732 |
| Chester-St. Margaret's | | NDP | | NDP | 3,341 | 35.25% | 148 | 1.56% | | PC | 65.31% | 2,943 | 3,341 | 3,193 | – | – | 9,477 |
| Clare-Digby | | Lib | | Lib | 5,122 | 54.68% | 2,211 | 23.60% | | PC | 68.01% | 5,122 | 842 | 2,911 | – | 492 | 9,367 |
| Clayton Park West | | Lib | | Lib | 5,929 | 67.81% | 4,414 | 50.49% | | NDP | 53.06% | 5,929 | 1,515 | 1,299 | – | – | 8,743 |
| Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley | | NDP | | PC | 3,304 | 42.27% | 1,011 | 12.93% | | NDP | 58.45% | 2,220 | 2,293 | 3,304 | – | – | 7,817 |
| Colchester North | | PC | | Lib | 5,003 | 61.00% | 2,841 | 34.64% | | PC | 59.72% | 5,003 | 1,037 | 2,162 | – | – | 8,202 |
| Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage | | NDP | | Lib | 3,057 | 40.62% | 143 | 1.90% | | NDP | 54.61% | 3,057 | 2,914 | 1,555 | – | – | 7,526 |
| Cole Harbour-Portland Valley | | NDP | | Lib | 4,002 | 41.04% | 21 | 0.22% | | NDP | 57.55% | 4,002 | 3,981 | 1,769 | – | – | 9,752 |
| Cumberland North | | NDP | | Lib | 2,944 | 39.74% | 732 | 9.88% | | PC | 59.33% | 2,944 | 1,974 | 2,212 | 279 | – | 7,409 |
| Cumberland South | | PC | | PC | 3,655 | 50.96% | 771 | 10.75% | | Lib | 67.13% | 2,884 | 486 | 3,655 | 147 | – | 7,172 |
| Dartmouth East | | Lib | | Lib | 5,469 | 63.85% | 3,540 | 41.33% | | NDP | 59.93% | 5,469 | 1,929 | 1,167 | – | – | 8,565 |
| Dartmouth North | | NDP | | Lib | 2,953 | 44.06% | 933 | 13.92% | | NDP | 45.55% | 2,953 | 2,020 | 1,729 | – | – | 6,702 |
| Dartmouth South | | NDP | | Lib | 4,049 | 46.24% | 1,131 | 12.92% | | NDP | 55.82% | 4,049 | 2,918 | 1,612 | – | 178 | 8,757 |
| Eastern Shore | | NDP | | Lib | 3,770 | 52.99% | 1,848 | 25.97% | | NDP | 60.87% | 3,770 | 1,922 | 1,423 | – | – | 7,115 |
| Fairview-Clayton Park | | NDP | | Lib | 3,364 | 46.43% | 1,090 | 15.04% | | NDP | 45.98% | 3,364 | 2,274 | 1,294 | 177 | 136 | 7,245 |
| Glace Bay | | Lib | | Lib | 5,547 | 80.36% | 4,546 | 65.86% | | NDP | 56.01% | 5,547 | 1,001 | 355 | – | – | 6,903 |
| Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie | | NDP | | Lib | 2,876 | 40.00% | 509 | 7.08% | | NDP | 71.68% | 2,876 | 2,367 | 1,947 | – | – | 7,190 |
| Halifax Armdale | | NDP | | Lib | 3,208 | 49.57% | 1,005 | 15.53% | | NDP | 56.95% | 3,208 | 2,203 | 1,061 | – | – | 6,472 |
| Halifax Atlantic | | NDP | | Lib | 3,244 | 42.46% | 665 | 8.70% | | NDP | 54.79% | 3,244 | 2,579 | 1,817 | – | – | 7,640 |
| Halifax Chebucto | | NDP | | Lib | 4,352 | 49.87% | 976 | 11.18% | | NDP | 56.15% | 4,352 | 3,376 | 874 | – | 125 | 8,727 |
| Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | | NDP | | Lib | 2,966 | 47.66% | 1,032 | 16.58% | | NDP | 48.64% | 2,966 | 1,934 | 1,094 | 198 | 31 | 6,223 |
| Halifax Needham | | NDP | | NDP | 3,392 | 43.99% | 277 | 3.59% | | Lib | 51.47% | 3,115 | 3,392 | 834 | 369 | – | 7,710 |
| Hammonds Plains-Lucasville | | NDP | | Lib | 3,402 | 52.23% | 1,818 | 27.91% | | NDP | 57.86% | 3,402 | 1,584 | 1,423 | – | 104 | 6,513 |
| Hants East | | NDP | | Lib | 4,512 | 47.39% | 1,100 | 11.55% | | NDP | 53.61% | 4,512 | 3,412 | 1,597 | – | – | 9,521 |
| Hants West | | PC | | PC | 4,468 | 50.75% | 1,189 | 13.51% | | Lib | 60.12% | 3,279 | 888 | 4,468 | 169 | – | 8,804 |
| Inverness | | Lib | | PC | 3,816 | 49.29% | 568 | 7.34% | | Lib | 72.36% | 3,248 | 678 | 3,816 | – | – | 7,742 |
| Kings North | | NDP | | PC | 2,903 | 32.49% | 21 | 0.24% | | NDP | 59.32% | 2,787 | 2,882 | 2,903 | 362 | – | 8,934 |
| Kings South | | NDP | | Lib | 3,878 | 39.16% | 367 | 3.71% | | NDP | 59.18% | 3,878 | 3,511 | 2,263 | 252 | – | 9,904 |
| Kings West | | Lib | | Lib | 5,885 | 74.31% | 4,610 | 58.21% | | PC | 55.06% | 5,885 | 603 | 1,275 | 157 | – | 7,920 |
| Lunenburg | | NDP | | Lib | 3,182 | 37.81% | 414 | 4.92% | | NDP | 63.24% | 3,182 | 2,768 | 2,465 | – | – | 8,415 |
| Lunenburg West | | NDP | | Lib | 3,931 | 43.11% | 1,046 | 11.47% | | NDP | 58.79% | 3,931 | 2,885 | 2,143 | 160 | – | 9,119 |
| Northside-Westmount | | PC | | PC | 4,179 | 44.03% | 463 | 4.88% | | Lib | 58.47% | 3,716 | 1,597 | 4,179 | – | – | 9,492 |
| Pictou Centre | | NDP | | PC | 4,147 | 52.26% | 1,774 | 22.36% | | NDP | 62.03% | 1,415 | 2,373 | 4,147 | – | – | 7,935 |
| Pictou East | | NDP | | PC | 3,714 | 48.05% | 926 | 11.98% | | NDP | 67.26% | 1,228 | 2,788 | 3,714 | – | – | 7,730 |
| Pictou West | | NDP | | PC | 3,026 | 40.10% | 438 | 5.80% | | NDP | 70.77% | 1,933 | 2,588 | 3,026 | – | – | 7,547 |
| Preston-Dartmouth | | Lib | | Lib | 3,326 | 58.39% | 1,510 | 26.51% | | NDP | 54.10% | 3,326 | 1,816 | 554 | – | – | 5,696 |
| Queens-Shelburne | | NDP | | NDP | 3,066 | 37.10% | 381 | 4.61% | | PC | 60.78% | 2,302 | 3,066 | 2,685 | 211 | – | 8,264 |
| Sackville-Beaver Bank | | NDP | | Lib | 2,570 | 40.21% | 201 | 3.15% | | NDP | 51.83% | 2,570 | 2,369 | 1,452 | – | – | 6,391 |
| Sackville-Cobequid | | NDP | | NDP | 2,983 | 38.45% | 85 | 1.10% | | Lib | 53.06% | 2,898 | 2,983 | 1,651 | 227 | – | 7,759 |
| Sydney-Whitney Pier | | NDP | | NDP | 5,084 | 49.37% | 550 | 5.34% | | Lib | 58.46% | 4,534 | 5,084 | 680 | – | – | 10,298 |
| Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg | | PC | | PC | 4,178 | 43.75% | 380 | 3.98% | | Lib | 64.08% | 3,798 | 1,573 | 4,178 | – | – | 9,549 |
| Timberlea-Prospect | | NDP | | Lib | 4,492 | 52.59% | 2,324 | 27.21% | | NDP | 58.02% | 4,492 | 2,168 | 1,588 | 293 | – | 8,541 |
| Truro–Bible Hill–Millbrook–Salmon River | | NDP | | NDP | 3,165 | 38.05% | 483 | 5.81% | | Lib | 54.35% | 2,682 | 3,165 | 2,470 | – | – | 8,317 |
| Victoria-The Lakes | | PC | | Lib | 3,150 | 39.00% | 303 | 3.75% | | PC | 69.73% | 3,150 | 1,907 | 2,847 | – | 172 | 8,076 |
| Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank | | NDP | | Lib | 3,588 | 43.09% | 948 | 11.39% | | PC | 60.15% | 3,588 | 2,098 | 2,640 | – | – | 8,326 |
| Yarmouth | | Lib | | Lib | 7,130 | 82.30% | 5,897 | 68.07% | | PC | 65.41% | 7,130 | 217 | 1,233 | 83 | – | 8,663 |
* ↑ including spoilt ballots
* ↑ Effect of 2012 restribution on previous election results, per "Transposition of Votes from the 2009 Provincial General Election and Subsequent By-Elections to 2012 Electoral District Boundaries" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
* ↑ Larry Duchesne was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island and leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party.
    = Newly created districts
    = Open seat
    = Turnout is above provincial average
    = Winning candidate was in previous Legislature
    = Incumbent had switched allegiance
    = Previously incumbent in another riding
    = Not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
    = Incumbency arose from byelection gain
    = Other incumbents renominated
    = Previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
    = Multiple candidates

## Retiring incumbents
### Liberal

* Wayne Gaudet, Clare
* Harold "Junior" Theriault, Digby-Annapolis

### New Democratic

* Vicki Conrad, Queens
* Howard Epstein, Halifax Chebucto
* Bill Estabrooks, Timberlea-Prospect
* Marilyn More, Dartmouth South-Portland Valley
* Michele Raymond, Halifax Atlantic
* Graham Steele, Halifax Fairview

## Nominated candidates

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

### Annapolis Valley

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Annapolis | | Henry Spurr 834 8.17% | | Stephen McNeil 7,710 75.52% | | Ginny Hurlock 1,390 13.62% | | Ron Neufeld 227 2.22% | | | Stephen McNeil |
| Clare-Digby | | Dean Kenley 842 8.90% | | Gordon Wilson 5,122 54.13% | | Paul Emile LeBlanc 2,911 30.77% | | | | Ian Thurber 492 5.20% | Wayne Gaudet† |
| merged district ||
| Clare-Digby | | Dean Kenley 842 8.90% | | Gordon Wilson 5,122 54.13% | | Paul Emile LeBlanc 2,911 30.77% | | | | Ian Thurber 492 5.20% | Harold Theriault† |
| Hants West | | Brian Stephens 888 10.03% | | Claude O'Hara 3,279 37.03% | | Chuck Porter 4,468 50.46% | | Torin Buzek 169 1.91% | | | Chuck Porter |
| Kings North | | Jim Morton 2,882 32.09% | | Stephen Pearl 2,787 31.03% | | John Lohr 2,903 32.32% | | Mary Lou Harley 362 4.03% | | | Jim Morton |
| Kings South | | Ramona Jennex 3,511 35.29% | | Keith Irving 3,878 38.98% | | Shane Buchan 2,263 22.75% | | Sheila Richardson 252 2.53% | | | Ramona Jennex |
| Kings West | | Bob Landry 603 7.58% | | Leo Glavine 5,885 74.01% | | Jody Frowley 1,275 16.03% | | Barbara Lake 157 1.97% | | | Leo Glavine |

### South Shore

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Argyle-Barrington | | Kenn Baynton 355 4.89% | | Kent Blades 2,905 40.05% | | Chris d'Entremont 3,935 54.25% | | | | | Chris d'Entremont |
| Chester-St. Margaret's | | Denise Peterson-Rafuse 3,341 35.01% | | Tim Harris 2,943 30.84% | | Janet Irwin 3,193 33.46% | | | | | Denise Peterson-Rafuse |
| Lunenburg | | Pam Birdsall 2,768 32.60% | | Suzanne Lohnes-Croft 3,182 37.48% | | Brian Pickings 2,465 29.03% | | | | | Pam Birdsall |
| Lunenburg West | | Gary Ramey 2,885 31.48% | | Mark Furey 3,931 42.89% | | David Mitchell 2,143 23.38% | | Robert Pierce 160 1.75% | | | Gary Ramey |
| Queens-Shelburne | | Sterling Belliveau 3,066 36.86% | | Benson Frail 2,302 27.67% | | Bruce Inglis 2,685 32.28% | | Madeline Taylor 211 2.54% | | | Sterling Belliveau |
| merged district ||
| Queens-Shelburne | | Sterling Belliveau 3,066 36.86% | | Benson Frail 2,302 27.67% | | Bruce Inglis 2,685 32.28% | | Madeline Taylor 211 2.54% | | | Vicki Conrad† |
| Yarmouth | | Charles Webster 217 2.50% | | Zach Churchill 7,130 82.03% | | John Cunningham 1,233 14.19% | | Vanessa Goodwin-Clairmont 83 0.95% | | | Zach Churchill |

### Fundy-Northeast

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley | | Gary Burrill 2,293 29.13% | | Tom Martin 2,220 28.20% | | Larry Harrison 3,304 41.97% | | | | | Gary Burrill |
| Colchester North | | Jim Wyatt 1,037 12.57% | | Karen Casey 5,003 60.65% | | John MacDonald 2,162 26.21% | | | | | Karen Casey |
| Cumberland North | | Brian Skabar 1,974 26.44% | | Terry Farrell 2,944 39.43% | | Judith Giroux 2,212 29.62% | | Jason Blanch 279 3.74% | | | Brian Skabar |
| Cumberland South | | Larry Duchesne 486 6.73% | | Kenny Jackson 2,884 39.93% | | Jamie Baillie 3,655 50.61% | | Bruce McCulloch 147 2.04% | | | Jamie Baillie |
| Hants East | | John MacDonell 3,412 35.58% | | Margaret Miller 4,512 47.05% | | Kim Williams 1,597 16.65% | | | | | John MacDonell |
| Truro–Bible Hill–Millbrook–Salmon River | | Lenore Zann 3,165 37.75% | | Barry Mellish 2,682 31.99% | | Charles Cox 2,470 29.46% | | | | | Lenore Zann |

### Central Halifax

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Clayton Park West | | Blake Wright 1,515 17.22% | | Diana Whalen 5,929 67.40% | | Jaime D. Allen 1,299 14.77% | | | | | Diana Whalen |
| Fairview-Clayton Park | | Abad Khan 2,274 31.19% | | Patricia Arab 3,364 46.15% | | Travis Price 1,294 17.75% | | Raland Kinley 177 2.43% | | Katie Campbell 136 1.87% | New Riding |
| Halifax Armdale | | Drew Moore 2,203 33.67% | | Lena Diab 3,208 49.04% | | Irvine Carvery 1,061 16.22% | | | | | Graham Steele† |
| Halifax Chebucto | | Gregor Ash 3,376 38.25% | | Joachim Stroink 4,352 49.30% | | Christine Dewell 874 9.90% | | | | Michael Marshall 125 1.42% | Howard Epstein† |
| Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | | Leonard Preyra 1,934 30.82% | | Labi Kousoulis 2,966 47.27% | | Andrew Black 1,094 17.43% | | Brynn Horley 198 3.16% | | Frederic Boileau-Cadieux 31 0.49% | Leonard Preyra |
| Halifax Needham | | Maureen MacDonald 3,392 43.59% | | Chris Poole 3,115 40.03% | | Mary Hamblin 834 10.72% | | Kris MacLellan 369 4.74% | | | Maureen MacDonald |

### Suburban Halifax

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Bedford | | Mike Poworoznyk 1,701 16.86% | | Kelly Regan 6,081 60.29% | | Joan Christie 2,026 20.09% | | Ian Charles 217 2.15% | | | Kelly Regan |
| Halifax Atlantic | | Tanis Crosby 2,579 33.37% | | Brendan Maguire 3,244 41.98% | | Ryan Brennan 1,817 23.51% | | | | | Michèle Raymond† |
| Hammonds Plains-Lucasville | | Peter Lund 1,584 24.23% | | Ben Jessome 3,402 52.04% | | Gina Byrne 1,423 21.77% | | | | Jonathan Dean 104 1.59% | New Riding |
| Sackville-Beaver Bank | | Mat Whynott 2,369 36.75% | | Stephen Gough 2,570 39.87% | | Sarah Reeves 1,452 22.53% | | | | | Mat Whynott |
| Sackville-Cobequid | | Dave Wilson 2,983 38.16% | | Graham Cameron 2,898 37.07% | | Peter Mac Isaac 1,651 21.12% | | John Percy 227 2.90% | | | Dave Wilson |
| Timberlea-Prospect | | Linda Moxsom-Skinner 2,168 25.23% | | Iain Rankin 4,492 52.27% | | Bruce Pretty 1,588 18.48% | | Thomas Trappenberg 293 3.41% | | | Bill Estabrooks† |
| Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank | | Percy Paris 2,098 25.03% | | Bill Horne 3,588 42.81% | | Brian Wong 2,640 31.50% | | | | | Percy Paris |

### Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Eastern Shore

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage | | Becky Kent 2,914 38.41% | | Joyce Treen 3,057 40.30% | | Lloyd Jackson 1,555 20.50% | | | | | Becky Kent |
| Cole Harbour-Portland Valley | | Darrell Dexter 3,981 40.51% | | Tony Ince 4,002 40.72% | | Greg Frampton 1,769 18.00% | | | | | Darrell Dexter |
| Dartmouth East | | Deborah Stover 1,929 22.33% | | Andrew Younger 5,469 63.32% | | Mike MacDonell 1,167 13.51% | | | | | Andrew Younger |
| Dartmouth North | | Steve Estey 2,020 29.86% | | Joanne Bernard 2,953 43.66% | | Sean Brownlow 1,729 25.56% | | | | | Vacant |
| Dartmouth South | | Mary Vingoe 2,918 32.99% | | Allan Rowe 4,049 45.78% | | Gord Gamble 1,612 18.23% | | | | Jim Murray 178 2.01% | Marilyn More† |
| Eastern Shore | | Sid Prest 1,922 26.77% | | Kevin Murphy 3,770 52.50% | | Stephen Brine 1,423 19.82% | | | | | Sid Prest |
| Preston-Dartmouth | | Andre Cain 1,816 31.44% | | Keith Colwell 3,326 57.58% | | Andrew Mecke 554 9.59% | | | | | Keith Colwell |

### Central Nova

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Antigonish | | Maurice Smith 2,324 25.39% | | Randy Delorey 3,882 42.40% | | Darren Thompson 2,868 31.33% | | | | | Maurice Smith |
| Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie | | Jim Boudreau 2,367 32.56% | | Lloyd Hines 2,876 39.56% | | Neil DeCoff 1,947 26.78% | | | | | Jim Boudreau |
| Pictou Centre | | Ross Landry 2,373 29.67% | | Bill Muirhead 1,415 17.69% | | Pat Dunn 4,147 51.84% | | | | | Ross Landry |
| Pictou East | | Clarrie MacKinnon 2,788 35.82% | | Francois Rochon 1,228 15.78% | | Tim Houston 3,714 47.71% | | | | | Clarrie MacKinnon |
| Pictou West | | Charlie Parker 2,588 34.01% | | Glennie Langille 1,933 25.40% | | Karla MacFarlane 3,026 39.77% | | | | | Charlie Parker |

### Cape Breton

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | NDP | NDP | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Cape Breton Centre | | Frank Corbett 3,440 45.03% | | David Wilton 3,282 42.96% | | Edna Lee 873 11.43% | | | | | Frank Corbett |
| Cape Breton-Richmond | | Bert Lewis 1,667 21.39% | | Michel Samson 4,369 56.06% | | Joe Janega 1,696 21.76% | | | | | Michel Samson |
| Glace Bay | | Mary Beth MacDonald 1,001 14.37% | | Geoff MacLellan 5,547 79.61% | | Tom Bethell 355 5.09% | | | | | Geoff MacLellan |
| Inverness | | Michelle Smith 678 8.68% | | Jackie Rankin 3,248 41.58% | | Allan MacMaster 3,816 48.85% | | | | | Allan MacMaster |
| Northside-Westmount | | Cecil Snow 1,597 16.69% | | John Higgins 3,716 38.83% | | Eddie Orrell 4,179 43.67% | | | | | Eddie Orrell |
| Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg | | Delton McDonald 1,573 16.35% | | Josephine Kennedy 3,798 39.47% | | Alfie MacLeod 4,178 43.42% | | | | | Alfie MacLeod |
| Sydney-Whitney Pier | | Gordie Gosse 5,084 49.07% | | Derek Mombourquette 4,534 43.76% | | Leslie MacPhee 680 6.56% | | | | | Gordie Gosse |
| merged district ||
| Sydney-Whitney Pier | | Gordie Gosse 5,084 49.07% | | Derek Mombourquette 4,534 43.76% | | Leslie MacPhee 680 6.56% | | | | | Vacant |
| Victoria-The Lakes | | John Frank Toney 1,907 23.44% | | Pam Eyking 3,150 38.71% | | Keith Bain 2,847 34.99% | | | | Stemer MacLeod 172 2.11% | Keith Bain |

## Opinion polls

* Voting intentions during the 2013 election campaign
* Voting intentions since the 2009 election
| Polling Firm | Last Day of Polling | Link | NDP | Liberal | PC | Green |
| Election 2013 | October 8, 2013 | HTML | 26.84 | 45.71 | 26.31 | 0.85 |
| Forum Research | October 7, 2013 | PDF | 26 | 48 | 23 | 3 |
| Forum Research | October 6, 2013 | PDF | 28 | 47 | 23 | 2 |
| Abacus Data | October 6, 2013 | PDF | 26 | 46 | 27 | 1 |
| Forum Research | October 5, 2013 | PDF | 28 | 47 | 23 | 2 |
| Abacus Data | October 5, 2013 | PDF | 27 | 48 | 24 | 1 |
| Forum Research | October 4, 2013 | PDF | 28 | 46 | 24 | 2 |
| Abacus Data | October 3, 2013 | PDF | 28 | 46 | 25 | 1 |
| Corporate Research Associates | October 3, 2013 | HTML | 31 | 47 | 20 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | October 3, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 52 | 17 | 2 |
| Abacus Data | October 2, 2013 | PDF | 28 | 50 | 22 | 1 |
| Corporate Research Associates | October 2, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 54 | 17 | 2 |
| Abacus Data | October 1, 2013 | PDF | 26 | 51 | 23 | 1 |
| Corporate Research Associates | October 1, 2013 | HTML | 28 | 55 | 16 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 30, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 56 | 15 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 29, 2013 | HTML | 24 | 57 | 17 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 28, 2013 | HTML | 26 | 56 | 17 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 27, 2013 | HTML | 26 | 55 | 16 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 26, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 56 | 16 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 25, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 53 | 17 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 24, 2013 | HTML | 27 | 51 | 20 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 23, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 49 | 20 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 22, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 49 | 21 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 21, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 48 | 21 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 20, 2013 | HTML | 29 | 47 | 21 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 19, 2013 | HTML | 28 | 47 | 23 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 18, 2013 | HTML | 28 | 48 | 23 | 2 |
| Corporate Research Associates | August 31, 2013 | PDF | 31 | 41 | 25 | 3 |
| Corporate Research Associates | May 30, 2013 | PDF | 26 | 45 | 26 | 3 |
| Corporate Research Associates | March 3, 2013 | PDF | 32 | 39 | 24 | 5 |
| Corporate Research Associates | November 30, 2012 | PDF | 29 | 41 | 27 | 3 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 2, 2012 | PDF | 31 | 41 | 22 | 5 |
| Corporate Research Associates | June 4, 2012 | PDF | 35 | 33 | 28 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | February 26, 2012 | PDF | 44 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
| Corporate Research Associates | November 29, 2011 | PDF | 45 | 22 | 29 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | August 31, 2011 | PDF | 41 | 26 | 30 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | May 30, 2011 | PDF | 42 | 22 | 31 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | March 3, 2011 | PDF | 34 | 35 | 26 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | November 23, 2010 | PDF | 38 | 31 | 26 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | August 31, 2010 | PDF | 37 | 35 | 21 | 7 |
| Corporate Research Associates | May 31, 2010 | PDF | 37 | 35 | 24 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | February 24, 2010 | PDF Archived December 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | 46 | 26 | 22 | 5 |
| Corporate Research Associates | December 1, 2009 | HTML | 53 | 22 | 21 | 4 |
| Corporate Research Associates | August 29, 2009 | PDF | 60 | 18 | 16 | 6 |
| Election 2009 | June 9, 2009 | PDF | 45.24 | 27.20 | 24.54 | 2.34 |

## Analysis

On election night, the Liberal Party formed a majority government by a comfortable margin. This was the first time the Liberals had formed government in Nova Scotia since 1999, and their first majority government victory since the 1993 election. From mid 2012, the Liberals had led every public poll and entered the campaign with a 20-point lead over the New Democratic Party (NDP).
While the Liberals had been relatively successful in the Annapolis Valley and on Cape Breton Island during the 2009 election, they were completely shut out of the South Shore, Fundy, and Central Nova Scotia. More importantly, the NDP had dominated the Halifax metropolitan area, winning 14 out of 20 seats. In 2009, the NDP had been able to count on a large number of ridings in and around Halifax, while achieving historic gains across the province, including in traditionally Progressive Conservative (PC) and Liberal areas of rural Nova Scotia. In 2009, the PCs fell from first place to third place in the Legislature, and were completely shut out of the Halifax metropolitan area.
In the 2013 election, NDP support collapsed across the province, as it lost all of its seats in Central Nova Scotia, three of its seats in Fundy, and three of its seats on the South Shore. However, the most important shift was in the Halifax metropolitan area, where NDP support dropped from 54.07% in 2009 to 31.29% in 2013. The party wound up losing 13 of its seats, as the Liberals won 18 of 20 seats in and around Halifax. Strong NDP areas in 2009, like Dartmouth, Central Halifax, and suburban areas north and east of the Harbour swung from the NDP to the Liberals. Among the casualties was Dexter, who lost his own seat to Liberal challenger Tony Ince by 21 votes. He was the first premier since Ernest Armstrong to be defeated in his own riding.
The NDP had very poor vote concentration in the 2013 election. In Halifax, where it won 31.29% of the vote, it won only two seats. While the party finished second in the popular vote ahead of the PCs, its support was spread out around the province and not concentrated in enough areas to translate into seats. Combined with its collapse in Halifax, this left the NDP with only seven seats to the Tories' 11.