Darrell Dexter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Darrell Dexter
Dexter in 2012
27th Premier of Nova Scotia
In office June 19, 2009 – October 22, 2013
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Mayann Francis John J. Grant
Preceded by	Rodney MacDonald
Succeeded by	Stephen McNeil
Leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party
In office June 2001 – November 23, 2013
Preceded by	Helen MacDonald
Succeeded by	Maureen MacDonald (interim)
Leader of the Opposition of Nova Scotia
In office June 2001 – June 19, 2009
Preceded by	Robert Chisholm
Succeeded by	Stephen McNeil
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Cole Harbour Dartmouth-Cole Harbour (1998–2003)
In office August 5, 1998 – October 8, 2013
Preceded by	Alan Mitchell
Succeeded by	Tony Ince
Personal details
Born	Darrell Elvin Dexter (1957-09-10) September 10, 1957 (age 67) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political party	New Democratic Party
Spouse	Kelly Wilson
Alma mater	Dalhousie University University of King's College
Profession	Lawyer naval officer journalist
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Forces
Rank	Sub-lieutenant

Darrell Elvin Dexter (born in 1957) is a Canadian lawyer and former naval officer. He was also a journalist. He served as the 27th Premier of Nova Scotia from 2009 to 2013. He was a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (NDP). He led the party from 2001 to 2013.

In 2009, his party won the election. This made him the first NDP Premier in Atlantic Canada. It was only the second NDP government east of Manitoba. His government lost the election in 2013. It was the first time in 131 years a Nova Scotia government did not get a second term. Dexter also lost his own election by a small number of votes. Today, Dexter works as a lobbyist.

Early Life and Career

Darrell Dexter was born on September 10, 1957. He grew up in a small town called Milton, in Queens County. His father, Elvin, worked with steel. His mother was Florence. He was the first person in his family to go to university.

He volunteered for a politician named Alexa McDonough in 1979. Dexter studied at Dalhousie University and the University of King's College. He earned degrees in education, law, and journalism. For a while, he worked as a reporter for The Daily News.

Dexter also served in the Canadian Forces. He was a Sub-lieutenant and a Combat Information Officer. He worked on ships like HMCS Yukon and HMCS Qu'Appelle.

Before becoming a politician, Dexter was a lawyer. He was first elected as a City Councilor in Dartmouth. He served from 1994 to 1996. He was also involved in many community groups. These included the Dartmouth Downtown Development Corporation and the Dartmouth General Hospital Commission.

Darrell Dexter is married to Kelly Wilson. They have one son.

Member of the Legislative Assembly

Dexter was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature in 1998. He became an MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour. He was the critic for Economic Development and Health. He was re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2006, and 2009.

Provincial Leadership

Dexter became the 8th leader of the Nova Scotia NDP in June 2001. He took over as interim leader after Helen MacDonald stepped down. In 2002, he ran for the leadership against John MacDonell. He won with 63% of the votes.

2003 Election Campaign

In 2003, Dexter led the NDP in his first provincial election. Many polls showed the NDP in third place. Dexter wanted to strengthen support in the Halifax area. He also aimed to gain support in rural areas and Cape Breton.

Dexter's campaign promised several things. He wanted to create a government company for car insurance. This would lower prices by 50%. He also wanted to pay for health care in nursing homes. Other promises included reducing surgery waiting lists. He also aimed to remove the provincial sales tax from home heating oil. He wanted to increase resources for schools. He also planned to freeze university tuition fees for a year. The NDP also promised a student debt relief plan. They aimed to keep budgets balanced.

On election night, the NDP gained more votes. They won four more seats. This included two in Dartmouth, one in Cape Breton, and one in Pictou County. The PC government, led by John Hamm, became a minority government.

2006 Election Campaign

The government, led by Rodney MacDonald, called an election for June 13, 2006. Dexter was again the NDP's candidate for Premier. Polls showed the NDP had about 30% support. This was similar to 2003. Dexter's campaign focused on improving services for seniors. He also wanted to lower heating oil costs. Other promises included a 10% cut in university tuition. He also supported subsidized child care and public auto insurance.

Many experts thought Dexter performed better in the leaders' debate. The NDP remained the official opposition. However, they made big gains on election night. The party won five more seats, reaching a total of 20. This was their best result ever. Dexter was also easily re-elected in his own seat of Cole Harbour. The NDP's share of the popular vote increased to 34.5%. The NDP also won seats in the South Shore region. They had not done well there before.

Opposition Leader

Dexter was the Opposition Leader. He served under Premiers John Hamm and Rodney MacDonald. Both were from the PC party. Dexter believed his ability to work with Hamm helped the NDP gain seats in 2006.

Within a few months of the 2006 election, the NDP started leading in opinion polls. They kept this lead until the 2009 election.

2009 Election Campaign

Dexter at an NDP meeting in Halifax, 2009

On May 4, 2009, the NDP and Liberals voted against a money bill. This defeated the MacDonald government. It forced an election a year early. The NDP had been leading in polls for three years. They aimed to win a minority government. The NDP wanted to keep their support in Metro Halifax. They also hoped to gain support on the South Shore and rural Nova Scotia.

Dexter's campaign was called "Better Deal 2009". It included 50 promises for four years. It focused on seven main goals. These included creating new jobs and keeping emergency rooms open. Other goals were taking the HST off home electricity. They also wanted to fix rural roads and help seniors. They aimed to give young people reasons to stay in Nova Scotia. Finally, they wanted more renewable energy.

On June 9, 2009, Dexter was elected Premier. He was the first NDP premier of Nova Scotia. His party won a majority government. They kept their support in Halifax and Cape Breton. They also gained support in the South Shore, Pictou, and suburban Halifax. The NDP won seats in the Annapolis Valley and Central Nova Scotia for the first time.

Premier of Nova Scotia

First Year as Premier

Dexter's party won the election on June 9, 2009. This made them the first NDP government in Nova Scotia. He officially became Premier on June 19, 2009.

In its first year, Dexter's government worked to control spending. They also tried to increase income for the province. This effort paid off. On April 4, 2011, Finance Minister Graham Steele announced a $447 million surplus. This was one of the largest in Nova Scotia's history. It was only the 7th time the province had paid down its debt since 1950.

A big reason for this surplus was a payment from the federal government. It was almost $200 million. Also, the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) increased by two percentage points. However, Dexter's government also made some unpopular choices. They removed the freeze on tuition fees for universities. They also cut or froze budgets for public education and health care.

In their first year, Dexter's government spent more days in the legislature. They sat for 35 days in Fall 2009 and 32 days in Spring 2010. This was more than the previous government's last four sessions combined.

Important laws passed in the first year included:

• Helping cover travel costs for out-of-province medical care.
• Increasing funding for women's shelters.
• Creating a rebate for graduates who stay in Nova Scotia.
• Banning uranium mining and cosmetic pesticides.
• Banning political donations from unions and businesses.
• Starting a new renewable energy plan. This aimed for 40% renewable energy by 2020.

In December 2009, Dexter received an award in Copenhagen. It was for Climate Leadership in Canada. This was for setting a limit on greenhouse gas emissions from electricity in Nova Scotia.

Second Year as Premier

In its second year, the Dexter government continued to control spending. They also worked to increase provincial income. Dexter also asked the federal government for help. He wanted support for big projects. These included the Lower Churchill Falls renewable energy project. This project would bring power from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. He also wanted a national shipbuilding contract for the Halifax shipyard.

Dexter's NDP government continued to spend more days in the legislature. Important laws passed in the second year included:

• Creating the province's first debt-cap for university students.
• A tax reduction for small businesses.
• An Auditor General Act, giving that office more power.
• A permanent ban on oil and gas exploration on Georges Bank.
• Canada's first "Lemon Law". This law requires used car dealers to give buyers more information.

Two decisions caused strong disagreement in Dexter's second year. The first was replacing a reading program called Reading Recovery. They replaced it with "Succeeding in Reading". Some people worried this change would harm children's reading skills. Others argued the old program was too expensive. They said the new program would help more children.

Business groups were concerned about a new bill. They felt it would give too much power to labor unions. The bill combined six boards into one Labour Board. It also created a Labour Management Review Committee. This committee included managers and employees from unionized workplaces. Critics wanted non-unionized businesses to have a say. They worried about how workplaces become unionized. The government changed the bill. They promised that non-unionized businesses would be consulted.

The 2011 budget was presented on April 5. It showed a surprising surplus for 2010. However, Finance Minister Graham Steele predicted a $389 million deficit for 2011. He promised to continue their four-year plan. This plan aimed to stop unsustainable spending. It would do this through economic growth and budget cuts. The NDP promised to lower debt costs. They also aimed to keep unbudgeted spending low. The budget also planned to open Canada's first Collaborative Emergency Centres. These would help keep emergency health services in rural Nova Scotia. They also aimed to reduce prescription drug prices for people on Medicare. They planned to provide tax relief and more money for people on income assistance.

Third Year as Premier

The third year of Dexter's time as Premier brought big news. The Halifax Shipyard won a federal shipbuilding contract. The NDP also announced a deal with Newfoundland. This was for the Lower Churchill project. It would bring hydroelectricity to Nova Scotia. Dexter's government also opened Canada's first Collaborative Emergency Centres. These aimed to help with emergency room closures in rural Nova Scotia.

Important laws passed in the third year included:

• Re-creating Nova Scotia's independent Arts Council.
• Putting a limit on cellphone contract cancellation fees.
• Scheduling a reduction in the HST by one point in 2014 and another in 2015.
• Reducing the small business tax for the third year in a row.

Two decisions caused strong disagreement in Dexter's third year. Both the Conservatives and Liberals tried to stop a bill about First Contract Arbitration. This bill meant that if employees voted to form a union but couldn't agree on a first contract, an arbitrator would create one. This would avoid a strike. Critics said the NDP was favoring workers over businesses. Supporters said similar laws exist across Canada. They also said it reduced work stoppages.

The second disagreement was about saving the forestry and paper industries. Both opposition parties eventually voted for the law to help the paper mill in Queens County. Some people said saving jobs was too expensive. Others praised the efforts to save the economies of Liverpool and Port Hawkesbury. In the end, the government's support was not enough. The Bowater plant in Liverpool closed.

The 2012 budget was presented on April 12. Dexter made a surprise announcement the day before. He said the HST would be reduced by one point in 2014 and another in 2015. The budget continued the NDP's four-year plan. This plan aimed to stop unsustainable spending. It would do this through economic growth and holding department budgets steady. The budget also planned to open more Collaborative Emergency Centres. It aimed to help the poor and disabled. It also planned to provide more grants to university students. Finally, it included heavy investment in rural road and highway repair. The budget predicted a deficit of $211.2 million. It also predicted a surplus in the next year.

As Dexter's third year ended, two long-time colleagues announced they would not run again. Transportation Minister Bill Estabrooks and Finance Minister Graham Steele stepped down. They were replaced by Maurice Smith and Maureen MacDonald. Maureen MacDonald was Nova Scotia's first female Finance Minister.

Fourth Year as Premier

The fourth year of Dexter's government included a balanced budget. There was also a big debate about the Maritime Link project. This project was with Newfoundland.

Important laws passed in the fourth year included:

• Stronger protection for animals.
• Cyber-safety laws.
• The Betty Bauman law.
• Reducing the small business tax for the fourth year in a row.

One topic caused much debate. This was whether to move forward with the Maritime Link project. This project would bring hydroelectricity from Newfoundland. It would be at a fixed price for 35 years. Opponents said Nova Scotia should go slower on renewable energy. They suggested importing energy from Hydro-Québec instead. Supporters of the deal said it was an Atlantic Canada solution. They said it would put Nova Scotia into an "energy loop". It would also help the province meet its green-house gas and renewable energy goals.

The 2012 budget was presented on April 4. It showed a small surplus of $16.4 million. This ended the NDP's four-year plan to get "back to balance". The budget also invested in more Collaborative Emergency Centres. It provided insulin pump funding for children. It expanded dental care coverage for children. It also expanded newborn screening. Finally, it included tax breaks for low-income seniors.

The Dexter government lost badly in the 2013 provincial election. The NDP won only 7 seats. This made them the third party in the legislature. Stephen McNeil's Liberals won. The PCs were second. The NDP lost many seats in Halifax. This had been their strong area for almost 20 years. They went from 14 of 20 seats in the capital to just two. Dexter ran in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley. He lost to Liberal candidate Tony Ince by only 21 votes. He was the first sitting Premier of Nova Scotia to lose his own election since 1925. Eight other members of his cabinet also lost. Dexter served as premier until Stephen McNeil became the 28th Premier on October 22, 2013. Dexter announced on November 16, 2013, that he would resign as NDP leader. This took effect on November 23, 2013.

After Politics

As of 2017, Dexter was Vice-Chair at Global Public Affairs. This is a large government relations firm. Dexter was also named an Honorary Distinguished Fellow at Dalhousie University's MacEachen Institute. There, he teaches about public policy. In 2014, he led two international election observer missions to Tunisia.