# 2021 Nova Scotia general election

The 2021 Nova Scotia general election was held on August 17, 2021, to elect members to the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia.
In a major upset, Tim Houston led the Progressive Conservatives to power for the first time since 2006, and with a majority government for the first time since 1999. With a popular vote share of 38.44%, the PCs won the smallest winning vote share of any majority government in Nova Scotian electoral history, and won nearly twice the number of seats as the Liberals, despite their overall vote share differing by less than 2%.
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin’s victory in Cumberland North marked the first occasion since 1988 that an independent candidate won election to the House of Assembly. A record number of four Black Nova Scotians were elected MLAs; prior to this election, only five Black MLAs had ever been elected in Nova Scotia.

## Redistribution of ridings

In April 2019, the Electoral Boundaries Commission released its report which recommended changing the number of electoral districts from 51 to 55, including reinstating the four former districts of Argyle, Clare, Preston and Richmond. In October 2019, the Nova Scotia Legislature passed implementing legislation, providing for the following changes to take effect at the forthcoming election.
| Abolished ridings | New ridings |
| Renaming of districts ||
| Argyle-Barrington | Argyle |
| Cape Breton Centre | Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier |
| Cape Breton-Richmond | Richmond |
| Glace Bay | Glace Bay-Dominion |
| Guysborough-Eastern Shore-Tracadie | Guysborough-Tracadie |
| Preston-Dartmouth | Preston |
| Sackville-Beaver Bank | Sackville-Uniacke |
| Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg | Cape Breton East |
| Sydney-Whitney Pier | Sydney-Membertou |
| Division of districts ||
| Bedford | Bedford Basin Bedford South |
| Queens-Shelburne | Queens Shelburne |
| Reorganization of districts ||
| Annapolis Clare-Digby | Annapolis Clare Digby-Annapolis |
| Cole Harbour-Portland Valley Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage | Cole Harbour Cole Harbour-Dartmouth Eastern Passage |

## Timeline

* May 30, 2017 – The Liberal Party, led by Stephen McNeil, wins the 2017 Nova Scotia general election, the Progressive Conservative Association stay as the official opposition, and the New Democratic Party remain at third party status.
* January 24, 2018 - Jamie Baillie resigns as leader of the Progressive Conservative Association, and MLA Karla MacFarlane becomes interim leader.
* October 27, 2018 - Tim Houston is elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Association.
* August 6, 2020 - Premier Stephen McNeil announces he will resign as leader of the Liberal Party and as Premier of Nova Scotia in early 2021.
* February 6, 2021 - Iain Rankin is elected as leader of the Liberal Party.
* February 23, 2021 - Iain Rankin is officially sworn in as the 29th Premier of Nova Scotia.
* July 17, 2021 - Premier Iain Rankin calls a general election for August 17, 2021.
| Seat | Before | Before | Before | Before | Change | Change | Change |
| Seat | Date | Member | Party | Reason | Date | Member | Party |
| Cumberland South | January 24, 2018 | Jamie Baillie | █ PC | Resignation | June 19, 2018 | Tory Rushton | █ PC |
| Sackville-Cobequid | November 16, 2018 | Dave Wilson | █ New Democratic | Resignation | June 18, 2019 | Steve Craig | █ PC |
| Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River | June 9, 2019 | Lenore Zann | █ New Democratic | Resigned from caucus | | | █ Independent |
| Cape Breton-Richmond | June 24, 2019 | Alana Paon | █ PC | Removed from caucus | | | █ Independent |
| Argyle-Barrington | July 31, 2019 | Chris d'Entremont | █ PC | Resignation | September 3, 2019 | Colton LeBlanc | █ PC |
| Northside-Westmount | July 31, 2019 | Eddie Orrell | █ PC | Resignation | September 3, 2019 | Murray Ryan | █ PC |
| Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg | July 31, 2019 | Alfie MacLeod | █ PC | Resignation | September 3, 2019 | Brian Comer | █ PC |
| Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River | September 12, 2019 | Lenore Zann | █ Independent | Resignation | March 10, 2020 | Dave Ritcey | █ PC |
| Cape Breton Centre | February 6, 2020 | Tammy Martin | █ New Democratic | Resignation | March 10, 2020 | Kendra Coombes | █ New Democratic |
| Chester-St. Margaret's | February 23, 2020 | Hugh MacKay | █ Liberal | Resigned from caucus | | | █ Independent |
| Annapolis | May 3, 2021 | Stephen McNeil | █ Liberal | Resignation | | | |
| Hants East | June 1, 2021 | Margaret Miller | █ Liberal | Resignation | | | |
| Cumberland North | June 24, 2021 | Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin | █ PC | Removed from caucus | | | █ Independent |
* ↑ amid an allegation of harassment
* ↑ in order to seek the federal Liberal nomination in Cumberland-Colchester
* ↑ amid a conflict over constituency office accessibility
* ↑ to run in the federal district of West Nova
* ↑ to run in the federal district of Sydney-Victoria
* ↑ to run in the federal district of Cape Breton-Canso
* ↑ to run in the federal district of Cumberland—Colchester
* ↑ due to ongoing health issues
* ↑ amid charges of impaired driving
* ↑ retired from political life
* ↑ retired from political life
* ↑ amid encouraging a protest that blocked the provincial border

## Leaders' debates

2021 Nova Scotia general election debates :
| Date | Organizers | Venue | Moderator(s) | P Participant A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | P Participant A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | P Participant A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | P Participant A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | P Participant A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | Source |
| Date | Organizers | Venue | Moderator(s) | Liberal | PC | NDP | Green | Atlantica | Source |
| July 28, 2021 | CBC Nova Scotia | Neptune Theatre, Halifax | Tom Murphy Amy Smith | P Rankin | P Houston | P Burrill | N Alexander | N Dean | |
| August 5, 2021 | CTV Atlantic | CTV Studios, Halifax | Steve Murphy | P Rankin | P Houston | P Burrill | N Alexander | N Dean | |

## Results
### Results by party

| 31 | 17 | 6 | 1 |
| Progressive Conservative | Liberal | New Democratic | Ind |
Summary of the 2021 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) | 2017 | 2021 | ± |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tim Houston | 55 | 162,473 | 19,119 | 38.59 | 2.86 | | 2.86 | 17 | 31 / 55 | 14 |
| | Liberal | Iain Rankin | 55 | 155,026 | 3,357 | 36.82 | -2.65 | | | 27 | 17 / 55 | 10 |
| | New Democratic | Gary Burrill | 55 | 88,477 | 2,178 | 21.02 | -0.49 | | | 7 | 7 / 55 | 1 |
| | Green | Jessica Alexander | 43 | 9,042 | 2,085 | 2.15 | -0.63 | | |
| | Independent | | 6 | 4,960 | 4,513 | 1.18 | 1.07 | | 1.07 | – | 1 / 55 | 1 |
| | Atlantica | Jonathan Geoffrey Dean | 16 | 1,023 | 609 | 0.24 | -0.16 |
| Total | Total | Total | 230 | 421,001 | 421,001 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 1,711 | 412 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 422,712 | 19,347 | 55.07% | 1.72 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 767,618 | 11,505 |

### Synopsis of results

    = 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
* ↑ "Provincial General Election 2021-08-17 - Official Results". electionsns.ca. Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
* ↑ including spoilt ballots
* ↑ Minor political parties receiving less than 1% of the national popular vote are aggregated under "Other"; independent candidates are aggregated separately
* ↑ effect of 2019 restribution on previous election results, per "Transposition of Votes from the 2017 Provincial General Election to 2019 Electoral District Boundaries" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. April 12, 2021.
* 1 2 3 Historically Acadian riding
* ↑ Larry Duchesne was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island and leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party.
* ↑ Historically Black riding

### Comparative results (2021 vs 2017 transposed results)

Summary of riding results by turnout, vote share for winning candidate, and swing (vs 2017 transposed results) :
| Riding and winning party | Riding and winning party | Riding and winning party | Riding and winning party | Turnout (pp) | Turnout (pp) | Vote share | Vote share | Vote share | Vote share | Swing | Swing | Swing |
| Riding and winning party | Riding and winning party | Riding and winning party | Riding and winning party | Turnout (pp) | Turnout (pp) | % | Change (pp) | Change (pp) | Change (pp) | Change (pp) | Change (pp) | Change (pp) |
| Annapolis | | Lib | Hold | 57.80 | 57.8 | 49.62 | -16.49 | | | -16.94 | | |
| Antigonish | | PC | Gain | 64.78 | 64.78 | 49.98 | 14.86 | | 14.86 | -13.21 | | |
| Argyle | | PC | Hold | 67.54 | 67.54 | 82.35 | 15.96 | | 15.96 | 15.71 | | 15.71 |
| Bedford Basin | | Lib | Hold | 55.61 | 55.61 | 50.87 | -1.88 | | | 1.61 | | 1.61 |
| Bedford South | | Lib | Hold | 56.03 | 56.03 | 45.37 | -5.92 | | | -3.09 | | |
| Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier | | NDP | Hold | 53.66 | 53.66 | 42.15 | -1.17 | | | -3.86 | | |
| Cape Breton East | | PC | Hold | 61.42 | 61.42 | 46.27 | -20.09 | | | -16.00 | | |
| Chester-St. Margaret's | | PC | Gain | 62.48 | 62.48 | 40.06 | 14.40 | | 14.4 | 9.80 | | 9.8 |
| Clare | | Lib | Hold | 67.84 | 67.84 | 49.89 | -1.34 | | | -7.23 | | |
| Clayton Park West | | Lib | Hold | 52.63 | 52.63 | 47.6 | 1.97 | | 1.97 | 1.68 | | 1.68 |
| Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley | | PC | Hold | 52.36 | 52.36 | 55.13 | 4.55 | | 4.55 | 2.94 | | 2.94 |
| Colchester North | | PC | Gain | 56.67 | 56.67 | 53.18 | 12.14 | | 12.14 | -13.40 | | |
| Cole Harbour | | Lib | Hold | 53.30 | 53.3 | 39.75 | 5.01 | | 5.01 | 2.83 | | 2.83 |
| Cole Harbour-Dartmouth | | Lib | Hold | 61.62 | 61.62 | 52.24 | 11.16 | | 11.16 | 6.30 | | 6.3 |
| Cumberland North | | Ind | Gain | 58.59 | 58.59 | 53.87 | New | New | New | -18.74 | | |
| Cumberland South | | PC | Hold | 52.12 | 52.12 | 68.47 | 16.99 | | 16.99 | 19.15 | | 19.15 |
| Dartmouth East | | PC | Hold | 57.44 | 57.44 | 38.99 | -2.17 | | | 0.96 | | 0.96 |
| Dartmouth North | | NDP | Hold | 46.02 | 46.02 | 49.75 | 10.40 | | 10.4 | 6.80 | | 6.8 |
| Dartmouth South | | NDP | Hold | 52.96 | 52.96 | 58.13 | 15.79 | | 15.79 | 14.50 | | 14.5 |
| Digby-Annapolis | | PC | Gain | 52.98 | 52.98 | 49.55 | 26.02 | | 26.02 | -21.37 | | |
| Eastern Passage | | PC | Hold | 52.65 | 52.65 | 44.82 | 9.11 | | 9.11 | 8.80 | | 8.8 |
| Eastern Shore | | PC | Gain | 56.92 | 56.92 | 45.82 | 14.73 | | 14.73 | -10.22 | | |
| Fairview-Clayton Park | | Lib | Hold | 47.58 | 47.58 | 38.51 | -1.67 | | | -4.83 | | |
| Glace Bay-Dominion | | PC | Gain | 59.37 | 59.37 | 34.61 | -4.52 | | | -4.46 | | |
| Guysborough–Tracadie | | PC | Gain | 66.81 | 66.81 | 63.39 | 20.98 | | 20.98 | -16.97 | | |
| Halifax Armdale | | Lib | Hold | 54.02 | 54.02 | 40.35 | -3.22 | | | -2.28 | | |
| Halifax Atlantic | | Lib | Hold | 47.27 | 47.27 | 55.22 | -0.26 | | | -0.17 | | |
| Halifax Chebucto | | NDP | Hold | 62.01 | 62.01 | 51.99 | 5.33 | | 5.33 | 5.73 | | 5.73 |
| Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | | NDP | Gain | 48.92 | 48.92 | 42.31 | 12.55 | | 12.55 | -8.65 | | |
| Halifax Needham | | NDP | Hold | 53.34 | 53.34 | 58.96 | 7.67 | | 7.67 | 3.51 | | 3.51 |
| Hammonds Plains-Lucasville | | Lib | Hold | 57.43 | 57.43 | 46.06 | -0.62 | | | -1.70 | | |
| Hants East | | PC | Gain | 51.19 | 51.19 | 37.36 | 2.92 | | 2.92 | -5.22 | | |
| Hants West | | PC | Gain | 55.98 | 55.98 | 43.11 | 14.18 | | 14.18 | -13.67 | | |
| Inverness | | PC | Hold | 61.58 | 61.58 | 55.85 | -3.41 | | | -3.58 | | |
| Kings North | | PC | Hold | 55.30 | 55.3 | 44.7 | -1.24 | | | 1.46 | | 1.46 |
| Kings South | | Lib | Hold | 55.70 | 55.7 | 44.11 | -2.48 | | | -4.35 | | |
| Kings West | | PC | Gain | 56.65 | 56.65 | 49.45 | 12.28 | | 12.28 | -11.41 | | |
| Lunenburg | | PC | Gain | 58.14 | 58.14 | 42.01 | 11.09 | | 11.09 | -8.01 | | |
| Lunenburg West | | PC | Gain | 55.65 | 55.65 | 44.42 | 16.69 | | 16.69 | -14.42 | | |
| Northside-Westmount | | Lib | Gain | 53.34 | 53.34 | 46.86 | 25.66 | | 25.66 | -26.30 | | |
| Pictou Centre | | PC | Hold | 57.07 | 57.07 | 55.77 | 2.36 | | 2.36 | -0.35 | | |
| Pictou East | | PC | Hold | 61.44 | 61.44 | 69.68 | -4.18 | | | -4.33 | | |
| Pictou West | | PC | Hold | 62.10 | 62.1 | 63.62 | 1.04 | | 1.04 | 3.67 | | 3.67 |
| Preston | | Lib | Hold | 46.78 | 46.78 | 43.38 | -5.65 | | | -5.01 | | |
| Queens | | PC | Hold | 58.36 | 58.36 | 70.37 | 19.96 | | 19.96 | 13.50 | | 13.5 |
| Richmond | | PC | Gain | 71.61 | 71.61 | 50.86 | 7.47 | | 7.47 | -7.72 | | |
| Sackville-Cobequid | | PC | Gain | 51.74 | 51.74 | 43.33 | 17.95 | | 17.95 | -3.56 | | |
| Sackville-Uniacke | | PC | Hold | 51.44 | 51.44 | 43.82 | 0.65 | | 0.65 | 0.52 | | 0.52 |
| Shelburne | | PC | Hold | 54.50 | 54.5 | 62.56 | 16.28 | | 16.28 | 13.15 | | 13.15 |
| Sydney-Membertou | | Lib | Hold | 52.66 | 52.66 | 54.27 | 16.85 | | 16.85 | 10.46 | | 10.46 |
| Timberlea-Prospect | | Lib | Hold | 55.68 | 55.68 | 54.38 | 4.98 | | 4.98 | 2.10 | | 2.1 |
| Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River | | PC | Gain | 51.11 | 51.11 | 47.85 | 15.87 | | 15.87 | -21.58 | | |
| Victoria-The Lakes | | PC | Hold | 51.50 | 51.5 | 54.37 | -5.18 | | | -6.28 | | |
| Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank | | PC | Hold | 56.55 | 56.55 | 40.38 | 2.86 | | 2.86 | 1.88 | | 1.88 |
| Yarmouth | | Lib | Hold | 55.17 | 55.17 | 56.32 | -11.83 | | | -11.68 | | |
* ↑ "41st Provincial General Election". Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
* ↑ "Transposition of Votes from the 2017 Provincial General Election to 2019 Electoral District Boundaries" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. April 12, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
* ↑ No attempt was made to estimate the effect redistribution would have had on reported turnouts.
* ↑ Positive indicates improvement to standing of party winning in 1981; negative points to 1981's second-place party being swung to.

### Summary analysis

Elections to the 64th Legislature of Nova Scotia – seats won/lost by party, 2017–2021 (after applying effect of redistribution) :
| Party | Party | 2017 (redist.) | Gain from (loss to) | Gain from (loss to) | Gain from (loss to) | Gain from (loss to) | Gain from (loss to) | Gain from (loss to) | Gain from (loss to) | 2021 |
| Party | Party | 2017 (redist.) | Lib | Lib | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Ind | 2021 |
| | Progressive Conservative | 18 | 13 | (1) | | | 2 | | (1) | 31 |
| | Liberal | 30 | | | 1 | (13) | | (1) | | 17 |
| | New Democratic | 7 | 1 | | | (2) | | | | 6 |
| | Independent | – | | | 1 | | | | | 1 |
| Total | Total | 55 | 14 | (1) | 2 | (15) | 2 | (1) | (1) | 55 |

## Incumbents not running for reelection

The following MLAs announced that they would not run in the 2021 general election:
Independent
* Hugh MacKay (Chester-St. Margaret's)
Liberal Party
* Karen Casey (Colchester North)
* Keith Colwell (Preston-Dartmouth)
* Lena Diab (Halifax Armdale)
* Mark Furey (Lunenburg West)
* Leo Glavine (Kings West)
* Bill Horne (Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank)
* Geoff MacLellan (Glace Bay)
* Chuck Porter (Hants West)
* Gordon Wilson (Clare-Digby)
New Democratic Party
* Lisa Roberts (Halifax Needham)

## Candidates by constituency

Legend bold denotes party leader † denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest
NOTE: Candidates' names are as registered with Elections Nova Scotia

### Annapolis Valley

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Annapolis | | Carman Kerr 4,231 49.62% | | Jennifer Ehrenfeld-Poole 2,753 32.29% | | Cheryl Burbidge 1,127 13.22% | | Krista Grear 306 3.59% | | Mark Robertson 109 1.28% | Vacant |
| Clare | | Ronnie LeBlanc 2,322 49.89% | | Carl Deveau 2,021 43.43% | | Cameron Pye 153 3.29% | | Claire McDonald 158 3.39% | | | Gordon Wilson† Clare-Digby |
| Digby-Annapolis | | Jimmy MacAlpine 1,865 35.06% | | Jill Balser 2,636 49.55% | | Michael Carty 626 11.77% | | Jessica Walker 113 2.12% | | Tyler Ducharme 80 1.50% | New riding |
| Hants West | | Brian Casey 3,827 41.58% | | Melissa Sheehy-Richard 3,968 43.11% | | Caet Moir 1,015 11.03% | | Jenn Kang 273 2.97% | | Gordon J. Berry 121 1.31% | Chuck Porter† |
| Kings North | | Geof Turner 2,602 29.29% | | John Lohr 3,971 44.70% | | Erin Patterson 1,876 21.12% | | Doug Hickman 391 4.40% | | Paul Dunn 43 0.48% | John Lohr |
| Kings South | | Keith Irving 4,049 44.11% | | Derrick Kimball 3,046 33.18% | | Mercedes Brian 1,808 19.70% | | Barry Leslie 276 3.01% | | | Keith Irving |
| Kings West | | Emily Lutz 3,856 41.52% | | Chris Palmer 4,592 49.45% | | Jason Langille 549 5.91% | | Sue Earle 216 2.33% | | Rick Mehta 74 0.80% | Leo Glavine† |

### South Shore

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Argyle | | Nick d'Entremont 635 14.33% | | Colton LeBlanc 3,649 82.35% | | Robin Smith 63 1.42% | | Corey Clamp 84 1.90% | | | Colton LeBlanc Argyle-Barrington |
| Chester-St. Margaret's | | Jacob Killawee 3,556 37.61% | | Danielle Barkhouse 3,788 40.06% | | Amy Stewart Reitsma 1,626 17.20% | | Jessica Alexander 417 4.41% | | Steven Foster 68 0.72% | Hugh MacKay† |
| Lunenburg | | Suzanne Lohnes-Croft 2,915 34.55% | | Susan Corkum-Greek 3,544 42.01% | | Alison Smith 1,750 20.74% | | Thomas Trappenberg 171 2.03% | | John Giannakos 57 0.68% | Suzanne Lohnes-Croft |
| Lunenburg West | | Jennifer Naugler 3,197 34.94% | | Becky Druhan 4,065 44.42% | | Merydie Ross 1,709 18.68% | | Eric Wade 180 1.97% | | | Mark Furey† |
| Queens | | Susan MacLeod 1,051 20.39% | | Kim Masland 3,627 70.37% | | Mary Dahr 323 6.27% | | Brian Muldoon 153 2.97% | | | Kim Masland Queens-Shelburne |
| Shelburne | | Penny Smith 1,483 23.76% | | Nolan Young 3,905 62.56% | | Darren Stoddard 753 12.06% | | Steve Hirchak 101 1.62% | | | New riding |
| Yarmouth | | Zach Churchill 4,344 56.32% | | Candice Clairmont 2,856 37.03% | | SJ Rogers 322 4.17% | | Adam Randall 191 2.48% | | | Zach Churchill |

### Fundy-Northeast

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley | | Rhonda MacLellan 1,913 25.62% | | Larry Harrison 4,117 55.13% | | Janet Moulton 1,438 19.26% | | | | | | | Larry Harrison |
| Colchester North | | Merlyn Smith 2,681 31.84% | | Tom Taggart 4,477 53.18% | | Sean Foley 955 11.34% | | Ivan Drouin 252 2.99% | | Stephan Sante 54 0.64% | | | Karen Casey† |
| Cumberland North | | Bill Casey 2,488 31.65% | | David Wightman 569 7.24% | | Lauren Skabar 569 7.24% | | | | | | Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin 4,235 53.87% | Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin |
| Cumberland South | | Rollie Lawless 1,092 19.17% | | Tory Rushton 3,900 68.47% | | Larry Duchesne 524 9.20% | | Nicholas Hendren 180 3.16% | | | | | Tory Rushton |
| Hants East | | Michael Blois 3,239 36.36% | | John A. MacDonald 3,328 37.36% | | Abby Cameron 2,142 24.05% | | Simon Greenough 199 2.23% | | | | | Vacant |
| Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River | | Tamara Tynes Powell 2,541 30.21% | | Dave Ritcey 4,025 47.85% | | Darlene DeAdder 1,398 16.62% | | Shaun Trainor 448 5.33% | | | | | Dave Ritcey |

### Central Halifax

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Clayton Park West | | Rafah DiCostanzo 3,603 47.60% | | Nargis DeMolitor 1,875 24.77% | | Reena Davis 1,836 24.25% | | Richard Zurawski 210 2.77% | | Helen Lau 46 0.61% | | | Rafah DiCostanzo |
| Fairview-Clayton Park | | Patricia Arab 2,892 38.51% | | Nicole Mosher 1,678 22.34% | | Joanne Hussey 2,787 37.11% | | Sheila Richardson 153 2.04% | | | | | Patricia Arab |
| Halifax Armdale | | Ali Duale 3,070 40.35% | | Richard MacLean 1,681 22.09% | | Julie Melanson 2,593 34.08% | | Jo-Ann Roberts 202 2.65% | | | | Stephen Chafe 63 0.83% | Lena Diab† |
| Halifax Chebucto | | Jackie Kinley 2,478 32.14% | | John Wesley Chisholm 911 11.81% | | Gary Burrill 4,009 51.99% | | Lily Barraclough 313 4.06% | | | | | Gary Burrill |
| Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | | Labi Kousoulis 2,956 36.82% | | Sheri Morgan 1,425 17.75% | | Lisa Lachance 3,397 42.31% | | Noah Hollis 250 3.11% | | | | | Labi Kousoulis |
| Halifax Needham | | Colin Coady 2,617 29.07% | | Scott Ellis 904 10.04% | | Suzy Hansen 5,308 58.96% | | Kai Trappenberg 173 1.92% | | | | | Lisa Roberts† |

### Suburban Halifax

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Bedford Basin | | Kelly Regan 3,700 50.87% | | Nick Driscoll 1,874 25.76% | | Jacob Wilson 1,554 21.36% | | Madeline Taylor 146 2.01% | | | | | Kelly Regan Bedford |
| Bedford South | | Braedon Clark 3,568 45.37% | | Sura Hadad 2,338 29.73% | | David Paterson 1,763 22.42% | | Ron G. Parker 140 1.78% | | Alan Nightingale 55 0.70% | | | New riding |
| Halifax Atlantic | | Brendan Maguire 4,213 55.22% | | Tim Cranston 1,493 19.57% | | Shauna Hatt 1,740 22.81% | | Sarah Weston 183 2.40% | | | | | Brendan Maguire |
| Hammonds Plains-Lucasville | | Ben Jessome 3,697 46.06% | | Julie Chaisson 2,865 35.70% | | Angela Downey 1,333 16.61% | | Mark Embrett 131 1.63% | | | | | Ben Jessome |
| Sackville-Cobequid | | Mary LeRoy 1,701 21.51% | | Steve Craig 3,426 43.33% | | Lara Fawthrop 2,577 32.59% | | Ian Dawson 203 2.57% | | | | | Steve Craig |
| Sackville-Uniacke | | Donalda MacIsaac 2,323 32.80% | | Brad Johns 3,104 43.82% | | Thomas Hill 1,535 21.67% | | Carson LeQuesne 121 1.71% | | | | | Brad Johns Sackville-Beaver Bank |
| Timberlea-Prospect | | Iain Rankin 5,181 54.38% | | Bill Healy 2,320 24.35% | | Raymond Theriault 1,647 17.29% | | Harry Ward 250 2.62% | | Dessire G. Miari 40 0.42% | | Dawn Edith Penney 90 0.94% | Iain Rankin |
| Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank | | Marni Tuttle 3,546 36.36% | | Brian Wong 3,938 40.38% | | Christina McCarron 1,581 16.21% | | Anthony Edmonds 617 6.33% | | Shawn Whitford 71 0.73% | | | Bill Horne† |

### Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Eastern Shore

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Cole Harbour | | Tony Ince 2,118 39.75% | | Darryl Johnson 1,704 31.98% | | Jerome Lagmay 1,431 26.86% | | | | Chris Kinnie 75 1.41% | Tony Ince Cole Harbour-Portland Valley |
| Cole Harbour-Dartmouth | | Lorelei Nicoll 5,144 52.24% | | Karina Sanford 2,929 29.75% | | Melody Pentland 1,558 15.82% | | Rana Zaman 215 2.18% | | | New riding |
| Dartmouth East | | D'Arcy Poultney 2,900 34.68% | | Tim Halman 3,260 38.99% | | Tyler J. Colbourne 1,974 23.61% | | Sara Adams 187 2.24% | | Chris Bowie 41 0.49% | Tim Halman |
| Dartmouth North | | Pam Cooley 2,361 31.48% | | Lisa Coates 1,278 17.04% | | Susan Leblanc 3,731 49.75% | | Carolyn Marshall 129 1.72% | | | Susan Leblanc |
| Dartmouth South | | Lesley MacKay 1,603 22.14% | | Chris Curtis 1,262 17.43% | | Claudia Chender 4,209 58.13% | | Skylar Martini 167 2.31% | | | Claudia Chender |
| Eastern Passage | | Joyce Treen 1,444 26.21% | | Barbara Adams 2,469 44.82% | | Tammy Jakeman 1,222 22.18% | | Corey Myers 374 6.79% | | | Barbara Adams Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage |
| Eastern Shore | | Kevin Murphy 3,169 34.06% | | Kent Smith 4,264 45.82% | | Deirdre Dwyer 1,618 17.39% | | Cheryl Atkinson 254 2.73% | | | Kevin Murphy |
| Preston | | Angela Simmonds 2,226 43.38% | | Archy Beals 1,472 28.69% | | Colter C.C. Simmonds 1,433 27.93% | | | | | Keith Colwell† Preston-Dartmouth |

### Central Nova

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Atlantica | Atlantica | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Antigonish | | Randy Delorey 2,997 31.82% | | Michelle Thompson 4,707 49.98% | | Moraig MacGillivray 1,552 16.48% | | Will Fraser 128 1.36% | | Ryan Smyth 34 0.36% | | | Randy Delorey |
| Guysborough-Tracadie | | Lloyd Hines 1,571 30.35% | | Greg Morrow 3,281 63.39% | | Matt Stickland 247 4.77% | | Gabe Bruce 77 1.49% | | | | | Lloyd Hines Guysborough-Eastern Shore-Tracadie |
| Pictou Centre | | Jim McKenna 2,269 30.93% | | Pat Dunn 4,092 55.77% | | Vernon Theriault 862 11.75% | | Laura Moore 114 1.55% | | | | | Pat Dunn |
| Pictou East | | Joe MacDonald 1,585 22.46% | | Tim Houston 4,918 69.68% | | Joy Polley 500 7.08% | | | | Jonathan Geoffrey Dean 55 0.78% | | | Tim Houston |
| Pictou West | | Mary Wooldridge-Elliott 1,510 21.41% | | Karla MacFarlane 4,487 63.62% | | Rick Parker 872 12.36% | | Clare Brett 124 1.76% | | | | John A. Clark 60 0.85% | Karla MacFarlane |

### Cape Breton

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | Liberal | Liberal | PC | PC | NDP | NDP | Green | Green | Independent | Independent | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier | | Michelle Wilson 3,188 40.61% | | Bryden Mombourquette 1,281 16.32% | | Kendra Coombes 3,309 42.15% | | Robert Hussey 72 0.92% | | | Kendra Coombes Cape Breton Centre |
| Cape Breton East | | Heather Peters 3,094 36.73% | | Brian Comer 3,897 46.27% | | Barbara Beaton 1,432 17.00% | | | | | Brian Comer Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg |
| Glace Bay-Dominion | | John John McCarthy 2,479 31.15% | | John White 2,754 34.61% | | John Morgan 2,725 34.24% | | | | | Geoff MacLellan† Glace Bay |
| Inverness | | Damian MacInnis 3,112 35.96% | | Allan MacMaster 4,833 55.85% | | Joanna Clark 708 8.18% | | | | | Allan MacMaster |
| Northside-Westmount | | Fred Tilley 4,030 46.86% | | Murray Ryan 3,140 36.51% | | Jennifer Morrison 1,430 16.63% | | | | | Murray Ryan |
| Richmond | | Matt Haley 2,009 36.85% | | Trevor Boudreau 2,773 50.86% | | Bryson Syliboy 274 5.03% | | | | Alana Paon 396 7.26% | Alana Paon Cape Breton-Richmond |
| Sydney-Membertou | | Derek Mombourquette 4,561 54.27% | | Pauline Singer 1,467 17.45% | | Madonna Doucette 2,377 28.28% | | | | | Derek Mombourquette Sydney-Whitney Pier |
| Victoria-The Lakes | | Nadine Bernard 2,224 34.20% | | Keith Bain 3,536 54.37% | | Adrianna MacKinnon 627 9.64% | | | | Stemer MacLeod 116 1.78% | Keith Bain |

## Opinion polls
### Voting intentions in Nova Scotia since the 2017 election

| Polling Firm | Poll Published | Link | Liberal | PC | NDP | Green | Lead |
| Election Results | August 17, 2021 | N/A | 36.67 | 38.44 | 20.93 | 2.14 | 1.77 |
| Forum Research | August 16, 2021 | HTML | 39 | 36 | 21 | 3 | 3 |
| Mainstreet Research | August 16, 2021 | HTML | 38 | 36 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| Narrative Research | August 11, 2021 | PDF Archived August 11, 2021, at the Wayback Machine | 40 | 31 | 27 | 2 | 9 |
| Leger | August 2, 2021 | PDF | 42 | 32 | 20 | 5 | 10 |
| Mainstreet Research | July 22, 2021 | HTML | 42 | 30 | 22 | 4 | 12 |
| Premier Iain Rankin calls an election to be held on August 17, 2021 (July 17, 2021) ||||||||
| Angus Reid | June 9, 2021 | HTML | 41 | 33 | 20 | 4 | 8 |
| Narrative Research | June 3, 2021 | HTML | 52 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 28 |
| Narrative Research | March 9, 2021 | HTML | 50 | 26 | 18 | 6 | 24 |
| MQO Research | February 25, 2021 | HTML | 51 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 24 |
| Iain Rankin is sworn in as Premier of Nova Scotia (February 23, 2021) ||||||||
| Iain Rankin is elected leader of the Liberal Party (February 6, 2021) ||||||||
| Angus Reid | December 10, 2020 | HTML | 37 | 29 | 25 | 7 | 8 |
| Narrative Research | December 8, 2020 | HTML | 49 | 25 | 21 | 5 | 24 |
| Narrative Research | September 3, 2020 | HTML | 47 | 27 | 19 | 6 | 20 |
| Stephen McNeil announces his intention to resign as leader of the Liberal Party and Premier of Nova Scotia (August 6, 2020) ||||||||
| Angus Reid | June 8, 2020 | HTML | 42 | 31 | 19 | 7 | 11 |
| Narrative Research | May 25, 2020 | HTML | 57 | 22 | 15 | 6 | 35 |
| Innovative Research Group | May 12, 2020 | PDF | 49 | 24 | 18 | 9 | 25 |
| Narrative Research | March 12, 2020 | HTML | 43 | 27 | 21 | 10 | 16 |
| MQO Research | March 3, 2020 | PDF | 34 | 32 | 22 | 9 | 2 |
| Narrative Research | December 10, 2019 | HTML | 42 | 26 | 21 | 9 | 16 |
| MQO Research | August 31, 2019 | PDF | 35 | 35 | 20 | 8 | Tie |
| Narrative Research | July 31–August 22, 2019 | PDF | 39 | 28 | 16 | 15 | 11 |
| Narrative Research | June 13, 2019 | HTML | 31 | 33 | 21 | 13 | 2 |
| MQO Research | May 13, 2019 | PDF | 30 | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| Corporate Research Associates | March 6, 2019 | PDF Archived March 7, 2019, at the Wayback Machine | 37 | 34 | 24 | 5 | 3 |
| MQO Research | February 13, 2019 | PDF | 41 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 8 |
| Mainstreet Research | January 30, 2019 | HTML | 32.1 | 31.0 | 25.2 | 8.1 | 1.1 |
| Corporate Research Associates | December 12, 2018 | PDF Archived December 15, 2018, at the Wayback Machine | 38 | 31 | 24 | 6 | 7 |
| Mainstreet Research | November 16, 2018 | HTML | 32.7 | 33.2 | 20.7 | 8.9 | 0.5 |
| MQO Research | November 8, 2018 | PDF | 42 | 36 | 15 | 6 | 6 |
| Tim Houston is elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party (October 27, 2018) ||||||||
| Corporate Research Associates | September 6, 2018 | PDF Archived September 6, 2018, at the Wayback Machine | 43 | 32 | 21 | 4 | 11 |
| MQO Research | August 9, 2018 | PDF | 45 | 31 | 20 | 4 | 14 |
| Mainstreet Research | July 17, 2018 | HTML | 36.7 | 33.8 | 22.9 | 5 | 2.9 |
| Corporate Research Associates | June 6, 2018 | PDF | 45 | 29 | 23 | 3 | 16 |
| MQO Research | May 11, 2018 | PDF | 40 | 31 | 23 | 4 | 9 |
| Mainstreet Research | April 18, 2018 | HTML | 40.2 | 34.7 | 17.3 | 5.6 | 5.5 |
| Corporate Research Associates | March 8, 2018 | PDF Archived March 9, 2018, at the Wayback Machine | 37 | 34 | 25 | 4 | 3 |
| Mainstreet Research | January 25, 2018 | HTML | 40.6 | 38.5 | 15.7 | 5.2 | 2.1 |
| MQO Research | January 24, 2018 | PDF | 47 | 30 | 17 | 5 | 17 |
| Corporate Research Associates | December 6, 2017 | PDF Archived December 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine | 38 | 29 | 27 | 5 | 9 |
| MQO Research | October 24, 2017 | PDF | 44 | 32 | 19 | 4 | 12 |
| Corporate Research Associates | September 13, 2017 | PDF Archived September 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine | 45 | 29 | 22 | 4 | 16 |
| MQO Research | July 27, 2017 | PDF | 46 | 30 | 21 | 3 | 16 |
| Corporate Research Associates | June 7, 2017 | PDF Archived July 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine | 40 | 29 | 28 | 2 | 11 |
| Election 2017 | May 30, 2017 | HTML | 39.5 | 35.7 | 21.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 |