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HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says he is relinquishing the energy minister role he gave himself as part of his push to turn the province into an energy superpower.
The premier announced the move as part of a larger cabinet shuffle on Wednesday as he invited back three former ministers who were previously dropped from his inner circle.
Houston had made similar comments about wanting “to turn Nova Scotia into an energy superpower” in October 2025 when he first appointed himself to manage the energy portfolio.
“We needed to get the attention of the world, really, on the energy potential of Nova Scotia … We made incredible progress with bids on the offshore, momentum on the offshore wind, things are really happening,” he said Wednesday.
The cabinet shuffle comes weeks after the last provincial budget resulted in a public outcry over cuts to public services. Houston later apologized for the budget, announcing he would partially reverse some of those cuts.
The premier said the shuffle is not a reset, and instead represents a “continuation” of his government’s efforts.
Houston said Marco MacLeod would take over the energy minister role in order to add “another layer of support and leadership” to the portfolio.
“I will continue to be the ambassador for Nova Scotia … continue to be intimately involved in the energy file … there’s a lot of momentum, and I think Marco (MacLeod) will bring an additional layer of focus to that to help us keep pushing that forward,” the premier said.
MacLeod, the former ministerial assistant for the Energy Department, is the Progressive Conservative member representing Pictou West. The new energy minister was elected in a 2024 byelection after longtime Tory, Karla MacFarlane, stepped down.
The premier said MacLeod has a strong understanding of the province’s energy file.
The newly minted energy minister said he was excited to pursue the work he was previously doing as ministerial assistant and was planning to get busy meeting with proponents and chasing down opportunities such as offshore wind, oil and gas.
MacLeod said he had learned from his work at the Department of Energy that it’s “not OK to sit in an office all day. We’ve actually got to get out there.”
Official Opposition NDP leader, Claudia Chender, told reporters she supports the premier “finally” removing himself from the role of energy minister, but she’s concerned about the size of the now “giant” cabinet.
After Wednesday’s shuffle, there are 24 members of the executive council.
“The issues are pretty specific and clear: Nova Scotians want this government to act on cost of living and make sure they can afford their lives. That doesn’t take four more people to do,” Chender told reporters.
“It takes a concerted effort and political will, and that’s political will we haven’t seen,” she added.
The three other additions are all former Houston cabinet ministers, including Susan Corkum-Greek. She now holds the portfolio for opportunities and social development.
Corkum-Greek was the minister of economic development from August 2021 until a December 2024 cabinet shuffle.
Former minister Brian Wong is taking on the advanced education portfolio, a role he also held from August 2021 until he was dropped December 2024.
Tory Rushton is getting his old job back as minister of natural resources, a role he held from August 2021 until he was shuffled out in October 2025.
Houston said bringing back these three former ministers is not an admission of having made a mistake in demoting them, but instead it reflects “the different points in the life of a province.”
“At this point in time, there’s a lot happening in the province … so we thought it was an appropriate time to bring back some experienced members who really have desire to get things done,” Houston told reporters.
The premier has been on several trips in recent months to promote the province’s energy potential at various energy conferences in other provinces, the U.S. and in Europe.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2026.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
