Zach Churchill stepping down as leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party

HALIFAX — Zach Churchill resigned as Nova Scotia Liberal leader Tuesday after leading his party to a resounding defeat in the Nov. 26 provincial election.

Churchill made the announcement at the Liberal caucus office in Halifax, saying he will be immediately replaced on an interim basis by Derek Mombourquette, while the other member of the caucus, Iain Rankin, will share in the leadership responsibilities while serving as house leader in the legislature.

The announcement followed Monday’s recount in the district of Yarmouth, which saw Churchill lose his seat to Progressive Conservative candidate Nick Hilton by a final tally of 16 votes.

“I’m certainly sorry that I couldn’t have produced better results for our candidates and our members of the legislature, but I’m certainly encouraged as I pass the torch on that we will continue to rebuild,” said Churchill.

The Liberals were reduced to just two seats, losing 12 of the 14 seats they held going into the election campaign, which was the first for Churchill as party leader. Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston led his party to a second consecutive majority government, winning 43 of the legislature’s 55 seats, after the results of a recount Tuesday that confirmed a Tory victory in the riding of Annapolis.

The New Democrats, led by Claudia Chender, were elevated to official Opposition status with nine seats, and one Independent candidate was re-elected.

Churchill pointed out that his party did get 23 per cent of the popular vote even if it won less than four per cent of the total seats.

“If I have one regret about the campaign and my career in politics, it is that I didn’t talk more about my personal passion for proportional representation,” he said. “I think this election gives us a very clear example of how it is important to reform our electoral system.”

The 40-year-old former cabinet minister was elected Liberal leader in July 2022 and had held the riding in his hometown of Yarmouth since winning a byelection in 2010. He was re-elected in 2013, 2017 and 2021.

The party said the process to replace Churchill would be announced in the coming months.

Mombourquette said Churchill’s decision was a “tough moment for the team” but he added that party rebuilding work would begin immediately.

“Iain and I will be out and engaging across the province with candidates who ran in the last election and with their riding associations,” Mombourquette said. “There’s a lot of work that needs to happen there … we will also have to prepare and start looking at policy for when the house goes back into session.”

The legislature reconvened briefly on Tuesday as newly elected members were sworn into office and Tory Danielle Barkhouse was re-elected Speaker.

The government also got consent from the legislature to move ahead with its promise to reduce the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax by one per cent on April 1.

Following the sitting, Houston told reporters that he is also supportive of the federal government’s so-called GST holiday, taking effect for two months beginning Saturday.

“We recognize the affordability challenges that Nova Scotians are facing and Canadians are facing,” he said. “We have some details to work out with the federal government to really understand it, but I think the spirit of what they are trying to do, we certainly agree with, and we will work with them on that.”

Houston campaigned against federal policy such as carbon pricing during the election, but after a meeting Monday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Halifax, the premier said they had “productive” discussions.

“There are things we just won’t agree on — I just don’t agree on the carbon tax — but there are things I think we can work together on,” he said mentioning the province’s fisheries and the work needed to protect from flooding the Chignecto Isthmus, which connects Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024.

Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press