Knowing The Parties

Often, people fail to vote for lack of knowledge about key issues and candidate platforms. As a starting point to gain such insight, it’s important to understand the major parties and what they stand for:

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party

• Founded in 1883
• Emphasizes individual rights, free exchange of ideas, equality of opportunity, and limitations on the power of governments
• Current leader: Mr. Stephen McNeil
• Supports some variant of the form of government known as “liberal democracy,” which includes open and fair election where all citizens have equal rights by law. Individual liberty is considered to be the most important political goal for the party.
• Party colour: red

The Progressive-Conservative Party of Nova Scotia:

• Founded in 1867
• Favours gradual change and tradition, which refers to religious, cultural or nationally defined beliefs and customs; generally supports lower taxes, smaller government and more decentralization of federal government powers — in other words, that more power given to the provinces to control their regions
• Has been the dominant party since 1967
• Current leader and premier: The Honourable Rodney MacDonald.
• Party colour: blue

The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party

• Originally founded in 1932 as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation; changed to the NDP in 1961
• The New Democratic Party believes that the social, economic and political progress of Nova Scotia can be assured only by the application of social democratic and egalitarian principles to the governance and administration of public affairs.
• The Principles of Social Democracy can be briefly described as:
  - That the production and distribution of goods and services shall be directed to meeting the social and individual needs of people within a framework that sustains the environment while maximizing the economy now and in the future;
  - That the dignity and freedom of the individual is a basic right that must be maintained and extrended to all persons regardless of race, ethnic background, religion, gender or sexual orientation;
  - That the abolition of poverty and the elimination of exploitation are achievable goals and must be the priority of any thinking and compassionate government; and
  - That the people have a right to a meaningful voice in public policy through consultation and participation in all levels of public decision-making.
• Current leader: Mr. Darrell Dexter
• Party colours: orange & blue

Green Party of Nova Scotia

• Received official party status in the province in 2006
• Places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals as well as being concerned with civil liberties, social justice and non-violence; utilizes broad-based, grassroots, participatory democracy
• Current leader: Ms. Ellen Durkee (interim)
• Party colour: green