List of Nova Scotia opposition leaders

This is a list of leaders of the opposition party in the Nova Scotia Legislature, both as a colony and a Province of Canada. Since 1928, when its upper house, the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was abolished, the province has had a unicameral parliamentary government. From Confederation, however, Nova Scotia has exclusively followed the modern Westminster convention whereby the leader of the opposition is the leader of the party that controls the second most seats in the House of Assembly.

Leaders of the opposition of the colony of Nova Scotia (1848–1867)[edit]

Picture Name Party Term
  James W. Johnston Conservative 1848–1857
  William Young Liberal 1857–1860
  James W. Johnston Conservative 1860–1864
  A.G. Archibald Liberal 1864–1867

Leaders of the opposition of the Province of Nova Scotia, since Confederation (1867–present)[edit]

Picture Name Party Term
  Hiram Blanchard Liberal Conservative 1867–1874
  Simon H. Holmes Conservative 1875–1878
  N/A Liberal 1879–1882
  Adam C. Bell Liberal Conservative 1883–1886
  William McKay Liberal Conservative 1887–1890
  C.H. Cahan Liberal Conservative 1891–1894
  William McKay Liberal Conservative 1895–1897
  Charles S. Wilcox Liberal Conservative 1898–1901
  Charles E. Tanner Liberal Conservative 1902–1908
  Charles S. Wilcox Liberal Conservative 1909
  John M. Baillie Liberal Conservative 1910–1911
  Charles E. Tanner Liberal Conservative 1912–1916
  W.L. Hall Liberal Conservative 1917–1920
  Daniel G. McKenzie United Farmers/Labour 1921–1925
  William Chisholm Liberal 1926–1930
  Alexander S. MacMillan Liberal 1931–1933
  Gordon S. Harrington Conservative 1934–1937
  Percy C. Black Conservative 1938–1939
  Fred M. Blois Conservative 1940
  Leonard W. Fraser Conservative 1941
  Fred M. Blois Conservative 1942–1945
  Russell Cunningham CCF 1946–1949
  Robert L. Stanfield Progressive Conservative 1950–1956
  Henry D. Hicks Liberal 1957–1960
  Earl W. Urquhart Liberal 1961–1963
  Peter M. Nicholson Liberal 1964–1967
  Gerald A. Regan Liberal 1968–1970
  George I. Smith Progressive Conservative 1970–1971
  John Buchanan Progressive Conservative 1971–1978
  Gerald A. Regan Liberal 1978–1979
  Benoit Comeau Liberal 1980
  A.M. (Sandy) Cameron Liberal 1980–1984
  Vincent MacLean Liberal 1985
  Bill Gillis Liberal 1985–1986
  Vincent MacLean Liberal 1986–1992
  Bill Gillis Liberal 1992–1993
  Terrence Donahoe Progressive Conservative 1993–1995
  John Hamm Progressive Conservative 1995–1998
  Robert Chisholm New Democratic Party 1998–1999
  Robert Chisholm (NDP), Russell MacLellan (Liberal), Wayne Gaudet (Liberal) Duties shared between Liberals and NDP 1999–2001
  John MacDonell New Democratic Party 2001
  Darrell Dexter New Democratic Party 2001–2009
  Stephen McNeil Liberal 2009–2013
  Jamie Baillie Progressive Conservative 2013–2018
  Karla MacFarlane Progressive Conservative 2018
  Tim Houston Progressive Conservative 2018–2021
  Iain Rankin Liberal 2021–2022
  Zach Churchill Liberal 2022-present