1978 Nova Scotia general election

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September 19, 1978

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52 seats of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
27 seats needed for a majority

Turnout

78.23%

0.34pp

	First party	Second party	Third party
	PC	Lib	NDP
Leader	John Buchanan	Gerald Regan	Jeremy Akerman
Party	Progressive Conservative	Liberal	New Democratic
Leader since	March 6, 1971	July 24, 1965	November 9, 1968
Leader's seat	Halifax Atlantic	Halifax Needham	Cape Breton East
Last election	12	31	3
Seats won	31	17	4
Seat change	19	14	1
Popular vote	203,500	175,218	63,979
Percentage	45.48%	39.16%	14.30%
Swing	7.17pp	8.41pp	1.43pp

Premier before election

Gerald Regan
Liberal

Premier after election

John Buchanan
Progressive Conservative

The 1978 Nova Scotia general election was held on September 19, 1978, to elect members of the 52nd House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.

Results

Results by party

↓
31	17	4
Progressive Conservative	Liberal	New Democratic

Official results ^[1]^[2]
Party		Party leader	# of candidates	Seats				Popular vote
Party		Party leader	# of candidates	1974	Dissolution	Elected	Change	#	%	Change (pp)
	Progressive Conservative	John Buchanan	52	12	12	31	+19	203,500	45.48%	+7.17%
	Liberal	Gerald Regan	52	31	30	17	-14	175,218	39.16%	-8.41%
	New Democratic	Jeremy Akerman	52	3	3	4	+1	63,979	14.30%	+1.43%
	Independent		6	0	0	0	0	2,008	0.45%	-0.06%
	Vacant				1
Total valid votes								444,705	99.39%	+0.13%

Blank and invalid ballots								2,739	0.61%	-0.13%
Total			162	46	46	52	+6	447,444	100.00%	–
Registered voters / turnout								542,547	78.23%^[3]	+0.34%

Popular vote

PC			45.48%
Liberal			39.16%
New Democratic			14.30%
Independent			0.45%

Seats summary

PC			59.62%
Liberal			32.69%
New Democratic			7.69%

Results by region

Party name			HRM	Cape Breton	Annapolis Valley	South Shore	Fundy-Northeast	Central Nova	Total
Parties winning seats in the legislature
	Progressive Conservative	Seats:	12	0	6	4	6	3	31
	Progressive Conservative	Popular vote:	52.01%	31.95%	51.35%	44.73%	50.28%	48.32%	45.48%
	Liberal	Seats:	2	7	2	3	1	2	17
	Liberal	Popular vote:	34.50%	42.78%	40.27%	44.10%	40.66%	36.74%	39.16%
	New Democratic Party	Seats:	0	4	0	0	0	0	4
	New Democratic Party	Popular vote:	12.99%	25.27%	8.38%	9.48%	8.91%	14.48%	14.30%
Parties not winning seats in the legislature
	Independent	Popular vote:	0.49%	–	–	1.68%	0.14%	0.46%	0.45%
Total seats:			14	11	8	7	7	5	52

Retiring incumbents

Liberal

Progressive Conservative

John Wickwire, Queens

Nominated candidates

Legend
bold denotes party leader
† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest

Valley

Electoral district	Candidates							Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent	Incumbent
Annapolis East		Carl L. Bruce 2,470 36.37%		Gerry Sheehy 3,863 56.88%		Roger A. Boutilier 458 6.74%			Gerry Sheehy
Annapolis West		Peter M. Nicholson 2,329 43.78%		Greg Kerr 2,690 50.56%		Larry Duchesne 301 5.66%			Peter M. Nicholson
Clare		Benoit Comeau 2,963 56.47%		Gerald J.B. Comeau 1,896 36.13%		Sylvio Gagnon 388 7.39%			Benoit Comeau
Digby		Joseph H. Casey 3,048 51.56%		John Comeau 2,603 44.03%		John Gray 261 4.41%			Joseph H. Casey
Hants West		Robert D. Lindsay 3,485 38.08%		Ron Russell 4,872 53.23%		Bill Shiers 795 8.69%			Robert D. Lindsay
Kings North		Glenn Ells 3,283 42.77%		Edward Twohig 3,744 48.78%		Donald C. Fraser 649 8.45%			Glenn Ells
Kings South		Wilbur H. Starratt 1,526 22.66%		Harry How 4,214 62.58%		Donald F. Archibald 994 14.76%			Harry How
Kings West		Frank Bezanson 3,559 37.71%		George Moody 5,011 53.09%		William J. Dyer 869 9.21%			Frank Bezanson

South Shore

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent		Incumbent
Lunenburg Centre		Jack Pelley 3,156 30.23%		Bruce Cochran 5,764 55.22%		Scott D. Miller 425 4.07%		Walton Cook 1,094 10.48%		Bruce Cochran
Lunenburg East		Wally MacDonald 1,417 28.01%		Ron Barkhouse 3,386 66.93%		Robert Whiting Sr. 256 5.06%				Ron Barkhouse
Lunenburg West		Maurice DeLory 2,791 36.54%		Mel Pickings 3,907 51.15%		G.M. Dean 941 12.32%				Maurice DeLory
Queens		Keith Wyer 2,440 33.85%		John Leefe 3,800 52.72%		A.J. d'Entremont 968 13.43%				John Wickwire†
Shelburne		Harold Huskilson 3,932 45.06%		A. Etheren Goreham 3,682 42.20%		Jane A. Strange 1,112 12.74%				Harold Huskilson
Yarmouth		Fraser Mooney 7,568 29.25%		Dorothy M. Crosby 4,389 16.96%		Hartley Wickens 1,268 4.90%				Fraser Mooney
Yarmouth		Hugh Tinkham 7,339 28.36%		Harold H. Hanf 4,122 15.93%		Charles Paddock 1,190 4.60%				Hugh Tinkham

Fundy-Northeast

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent		Incumbent
Colchester North		Floyd Tucker 3,023 43.30%		Bill Campbell 3,447 49.37%		Peter Robben 512 7.33%				Floyd Tucker Colchester
Colchester South		Ed Lorraine 2,187 38.11%		R. Colin Stewart 3,230 56.28%		Chester Rice 322 5.61%				Melinda MacLean† Colchester
Cumberland Centre		Guy Brown 2,515 53.75%		Russell Fisher 1,354 28.94%		Dennis R. Calder 810 17.31%				Guy Brown
Cumberland East		Norman J. Mansour 3,234 34.15%		Roger Stuart Bacon 4,955 52.33%		Francis Soontiens 1,280 13.52%				Roger Stuart Bacon
Cumberland West		Duncan Lake 2,292 43.72%		D. L. George Henley 2,633 50.23%		John S. Edgecombe 317 6.05%				D. L. George Henley
Hants East		Jack Hawkins 3,294 42.15%		G. Patrick Hunt 4,035 51.63%		Clair White 486 6.22%				Jack Hawkins
Truro—Bible Hill		Peter Wilson 3,160 37.04%		Ron Giffin 4,713 55.24%		Tom Barron 589 6.90%		Bob Kirk 70 0.82%		New riding

Central Halifax

Electoral district	Candidates							Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent	Incumbent
Halifax Bedford Basin		Wilfred Moore 4,081 35.08%		Joel Matheson 6,325 54.36%		Tom Orman 1,229 10.56%			New riding
Halifax Chebucto		Walter Fitzgerald 3,998 44.28%		Margaret Stanbury 3,733 41.34%		Donald F. Mielke 1,298 14.38%			Walter Fitzgerald
Halifax Citadel		Ronald Wallace 3,525 37.82%		Art Donahoe 3,780 40.56%		Michael Bradfield 2,015 21.62%			Ronald Wallace
Halifax Cornwallis		George M. Mitchell 3,104 31.77%		Terry Donahoe 4,446 45.51%		Michael Coyle 2,220 22.72%			George M. Mitchell
Halifax Needham		Gerald Regan 3,553 43.38%		Pat Curran 3,416 41.70%		James Miller 1,222 14.92%			Gerald Regan

Suburban Halifax

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent		Incumbent
Bedford-Musquodoboit Valley		Jim MacLean 2,743 32.65%		Ken Streatch 4,951 58.93%		Gerald B. Hoganson 708 8.43%				New riding
Halifax Atlantic		Jerry F. Blom 2,303 22.28%		John Buchanan 6,628 64.13%		Susan Holtz 1,274 12.33%		Art Canning 131 1.27%		John Buchanan
Halifax-St. Margaret's		Terry Tingley 3,149 32.45%		Jerry Lawrence 5,277 54.38%		Garry Richard Craig 1,278 13.17%				Leonard L. Pace†
Sackville		George Doucet 3,554 34.47%		Malcolm A. MacKay 5,247 50.89%		Doug MacDonald 990 9.60%		Evan Morgan 519 5.03%		George Doucet Halifax Cobequid

Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Eastern Shore

Electoral district	Candidates							Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent	Incumbent
Cole Harbour		Peter Sawler 2,782 35.59%		David Nantes 4,278 54.73%		Daniel laFitte 757 9.68%			New riding
Dartmouth East		Barbara Hart 3,488 36.27%		Richard L. Weldon 5,098 53.02%		Gabriel Des Rochers 1,030 10.71%			New riding
Dartmouth North		Glen M. Bagnell 2,927 33.94%		Laird Stirling 4,561 52.89%		Nick Rolls 1,135 13.16%			Glen M. Bagnell
Dartmouth South		Norman Crawford 2,365 25.38%		Roland J. Thornhill 5,530 59.35%		Mike Marshall 1,423 15.27%			Roland J. Thornhill
Halifax Eastern Shore		Alexander Garnet Brown 3,911 40.07%		Tom McInnis 5,298 54.28%		Daniel Matheson 552 5.66%			Alexander Garnet Brown

Central Nova

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent		Incumbent
Antigonish		Bill Gillis 4,689 49.82%		Bill McNeil 3,713 39.45%		John Arthur Murphy 1,010 10.73%				Bill Gillis
Guysborough		A.M. "Sandy" Cameron 3,306 47.87%		Jim Johnson 3,293 47.68%		Kevin Patrick Keeping 307 4.45%				A.M. "Sandy" Cameron
Pictou Centre		Erskine Cumming 2,313 20.00%		Jack MacIsaac 6,056 52.36%		Austin Sutton 3,068 26.52%		Jim Beck 130 1.12%		Jack MacIsaac
Pictou East		W.G. Bill Munro 2,364 32.30%		Donald Cameron 4,315 58.96%		Bill Mitton 639 8.73%				Donald Cameron
Pictou West		Dan Reid 2,735 40.61%		Donald P. McInnes 2,888 42.89%		John McDonald 1,047 15.55%		Lloyd H. MacLellan 64 0.95%		Dan Reid

Cape Breton

Electoral district	Candidates							Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		PC		NDP		Independent	Incumbent
Cape Breton Centre		Francis MacLean 2,993 36.96%		Peter MacKinnon 1,510 18.65%		Buddy MacEachern 3,594 44.39%			Buddy MacEachern
Cape Breton East		Vincent Kachafanas 3,109 27.21%		Frank Edwards 3,182 27.85%		Jeremy Akerman 5,135 44.94%			Jeremy Akerman
Cape Breton North		Barry LeBlanc 2,782 28.17%		Tom MacKeough 3,215 32.56%		Len J. Arsenault 3,878 39.27%			Tom MacKeough
Cape Breton Nova		Earle Tubrett 2,867 34.60%		Percy Gaum 1,502 18.12%		Paul MacEwan 3,918 47.28%			Paul MacEwan
Cape Breton South		Vince MacLean 7,041 59.84%		Donald C. MacNeil 2,761 23.46%		Sandy MacNeil 1,965 16.70%			Vince MacLean
Cape Breton—The Lakes		Ossie Fraser 3,473 46.26%		Jim MacDonald 2,642 35.19%		Irene LeBlanc 1,393 18.55%			New riding
Cape Breton West		David Muise 3,664 36.80%		"Big" Donnie MacLeod 3,081 30.95%		Frank Boone 3,211 32.25%			Ossie Fraser
Inverness		William MacEachern 6,270 27.10%		Bernie MacLean 5,412 23.39%		Archie A. Chisholm 644 2.78%			William MacEachern
Inverness		John Archie MacKenzie 5,632 24.34%		Bill MacIsaac 4,614 19.94%		Joyce Campbell 563 2.43%			John Archie MacKenzie
Richmond		Gaston LeBlanc 3,287 49.39%		Eva Landry 2,446 36.75%		Bruce Wright 922 13.85%			Gaston LeBlanc
Victoria		Peter John Nicholson 2,199 48.29%		Catherine MacNeil Jankowski 1,992 43.74%		Steve Lake 363 7.97%			Vacant

References

^ "Election Returns 1978" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
^ "Election Returns 1978 Recapitulation" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
^ While 447,444 votes were cast, only 424,418 electors voted as Inverness and Yarmouth electors voted for two candidates.

v t e Elections and referendums in Nova Scotia
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Municipal elections	1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Referendums	1929 2004
See also: List of Nova Scotia by-elections