2009 Nova Scotia general election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2009 Nova Scotia general election

← 2006 June 9, 2009 2013 →
← 60th General Assembly of Nova Scotia members →
52 seats of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 27 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Darrell Dexter Stephen McNeil Rodney MacDonald Party New Democratic Liberal Progressive Conservative Leader since June 2, 2002 April 28, 2007 February 11, 2006 Leader's seat Cole Harbour Annapolis Inverness Last election 20 seats, 34.63% 9 seats, 23.44% 23 seats, 39.57% Seats won 31 11 10 Seat change 11 2 13 Popular vote 186,556 112,160 101,203 Percentage 45.24% 27.20% 24.54% Swing 10.61% 3.76% 15.03%
Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding.
Premier before election Rodney MacDonald Progressive Conservative Premier after election Darrell Dexter New Democratic

The 2009 Nova Scotia general election was a big event that happened on June 9, 2009. People in Nova Scotia, Canada, voted to choose who would represent them in the House of Assembly. This is like choosing the team that will run the province.

Understanding the Election Results

In an election, people vote for a person to represent their local area, called a riding. The political party with the most elected representatives usually forms the government. To win, a party needs to get more than half of the total seats. In 2009, there were 52 seats, so a party needed 27 seats to form a majority government.

Who Won the 2009 Nova Scotia Election?

The New Democratic Party (NDP) won the most seats in this election. Their leader, Darrell Dexter, became the new Premier of Nova Scotia. This was a historic win because it was the first time the NDP had ever formed the government in Nova Scotia.

• The NDP won 31 out of 52 seats. This was a big jump from the 20 seats they had before.
• The Liberal Party, led by Stephen McNeil, came in second. They won 11 seats.
• The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Rodney MacDonald, came in third. They won 10 seats. Rodney MacDonald was the Premier before this election.

This election showed a big change in how people voted. The NDP gained a lot of support, while the Progressive Conservatives lost many seats.

Candidates in the Election

Many people ran to become a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in their local areas. Each political party had candidates in most of the 52 ridings across Nova Scotia.

Candidates in the Annapolis Valley Area

This area includes places like Annapolis, Clare, and Hants West.

Candidates in the South Shore Area

This region includes ridings like Argyle, Chester-St. Margaret's, and Yarmouth.

Candidates in the Fundy-Northeast Area

This area includes ridings like Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, Cumberland North, and Hants East.

Candidates in the Central Halifax Area

This section lists candidates for ridings in the central part of Halifax, such as Halifax Chebucto and Halifax Citadel.

Candidates in the Suburban Halifax Area

This covers ridings outside the main city center, such as Bedford-Birch Cove and Sackville-Cobequid.

Candidates in the Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Eastern Shore Area

This section lists candidates for ridings in Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, and the Eastern Shore.

Candidates in the Central Nova Area

This section lists candidates for ridings in the Central Nova area, including Antigonish and Pictou Centre.

Candidates in the Cape Breton Area

This section lists candidates for ridings in Cape Breton, including Cape Breton Centre and Inverness.

What Were People Thinking? Opinion Polls

Before the election, groups like Angus Reid Strategies and Corporate Research Associates asked people who they planned to vote for. These are called opinion polls. They help us see what the public was thinking leading up to the election day.

The polls showed that the NDP was often ahead, suggesting they might win. This matches the final election results.

Images for kids

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  Map showing the results of the 2009 Nova Scotia election by riding.