The is a political party in
Nova Scotia ,
Canada .
The party is descended from the pre-
Confederation Reformers in
Nova Scotia who coalesced around
Joseph Howe demanding the institution of
Responsible Government . The Liberals (Reformers) formed several governments in the colony between 1848 and 1867.
The party split during the debate on Confederation, with Howe and most other Liberals forming an
Anti-Confederation Party , while supporters of confederation joined Tory
Charles Tupper 's
Confederation Party . Howe, himself, initially opposed Confederation, but accepted it as a reality after initial attempts to scuttle it failed.
In 1868, Howe joined the pro-Confederation forces, serving for a time in the federal
Cabinet of Sir
John A. Macdonald .
The
Anti-Confederation Party took most of Nova Scotia's seats in the
Canadian House Of Commons in 1867, as well as forming the government of the new province under
William Annand . The new, post-1867 Liberal Party was organised by Annand and his anti-Confederate forces, while the
Conservative Party was organised by Tupper and supporters of Sir
John A. Macdonald 's coalition in the province.
Prior to 1956, the Nova Scotia Liberal Party had ruled the province for 76 of its 89 years, most of that time with fewer then 5 opposition members. It had also ruled prior to confederation, and was responsible for bringing the first
Responsible Government to North America.
From 1956 the Tories gained significant ground with
Robert Stanfield 's reformation of the "Progressive Conservatives", and have successfully challenged the Liberals for control of the government.
The Nova Scotia Liberals are the provincial section of the federal
Liberal Party Of Canada . The two parties have a shared membership, and Liberal
Members Of Parliament often become Liberal
Members Of The Legislative Assembly , and vice versa.
Gerald Regan , for instance, became leader of the provincial party after serving as a Liberal MP. He joined the federal Liberal government after serving as
Premier of Nova Scotia.
Angus L. Macdonald , the province's most storied Liberal premier, split his term into two by spending five years as a federal Liberal cabinet minister in the wartime government of
William Lyon Mackenzie King .
