The first general assembly in Nova Scotia sat in May, 1758, making it the oldest in Canada. Of the registered voters in 2017, 53.4% voted. Voter turnout has decreased from 82% turnout in 1960.
Nova Scotia elected minority governments in the 2006, 2003, and 1998. The Progressive Conservative government of John Hamm, and later Rodney MacDonald, required the support of the New Democratic Party or Liberal Party after the election in 2003. The Liberal party won both the October 8th, 2013 and most recent provincial election on May 30, 2017, each with a majority government. Prior to that, the election on June 9, 2009 was won by the NDP party for the first time ever. They captured a majority with 31 seats to 11 for the Liberals and 10 for the PC Party. The election on June 13, 2006 elected 23 Progressive Conservatives, 20 New Democrats and 9 Liberals, leaving Nova Scotia with a Progressive Conservative minority government. In 2006/07, the Province passed a budget of $6.9 billion, with a projected $72 million surplus. Federal equalization payments account for $1.385 billion, or 20.07% of the provincial revenue. While Nova Scotians have enjoyed balanced budgets for several years, the accumulated debt exceeds $12 billion, resulting in slightly over $897 million in debt servicing payments, or 12.67% of expenses. In 2010, MLAs were criticized by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for their pension plan, which costs taxpayers $11 million annually. The ratio of funding for the pension, according to the report, is $22 taxpayer dollars per $1 contributed by public officials.
Current politics
The Liberal party won the most recent election on May 30, 2017 with its second consecutive majority government. In the 2018/19 budget, results were $10.78 billion in expenses, $10.81 billion in revenue, and a projected surplus of $29.4 million. The surplus is largely related to expected tax income from the future sale of cannabis within the province. The province's revenue comes mainly from the taxation of personal and corporate income, although taxes on tobacco and alcohol, its stake in the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, and oil and gas royalties are also significant. The province participates in the HST, a blended sales tax collected by the federal government using the GSTtax system.
