Timothy Jerome Houston (born April 10, 1970) is a Canadian politician who is the 30th and current
premier of Nova Scotia
The premier of Nova Scotia is the first minister to the lieutenant governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia. Following the Westminster system, the premier is normally the leader of ...
since 2021. He was first elected to the
Nova Scotia House of Assembly
The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...
Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia
The Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia (formerly Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia), is a moderate political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. Like most conservative parties in Atlantic Canada, it has been historically as ...
, he represents the electoral district of
Pictou East
Pictou East is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
Its Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) since the 2013 election is Tim Houston of the Progressive Conservativ ...
. Houston also served as the leader of the opposition from 2018 to 2021. He and the Progressive Conservative party won a majority government in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election, becoming the first Progressive Conservative premier since 2009.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Houston lived in several different places around the world as his father was in the military. His family eventually re-settled in Halifax and Houston attended
Halifax West High School
Halifax West High School is a Canadian public high school located in the Clayton Park neighbourhood in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Encompassing grades 10 through 12, Halifax West High School offers a variety of courses in b ...
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...
. He then moved to
Bermuda
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, working there as a consultant from 1995 to 2007. Houston then worked as a chartered accountant and as a financial consultant with
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
. On November 2, 2020, he was awarded the profession’s highest mark of distinction, the Fellow (FCPA) designation, by Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia.
Political career
On November 27, 2012, Houston won the Progressive Conservative nomination in the riding of Pictou East for the
2013 Nova Scotia general election
The 2013 Nova Scotia general election was held on October 8, 2013, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
The result of the election was a Liberal victory under the leadership of Stephen McNeil, with the party winning its first e ...
.
He was elected MLA of Pictou East on October 8, 2013, with 48.08% of the vote.
Houston was re-elected on May 30, 2017 with 73.88% of the vote.
On November 19, 2017, Houston announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. Houston was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party after the first ballot results were announced on October 27, 2018, at the Party's Leadership Convention in Halifax. Houston earned 48.96% of the points on the first ballot, leaving other candidates no clear path to victory. The other candidates conceded after the first ballot.
Houston has been publicly open to the option of fracking in Nova Scotia, a controversial stance. He has said as Leader of the Opposition, he would not criticize the Government without offering his own ideas in response.
2021 provincial election
The incumbent Liberals held a 75% approval rating in June 2021. In an upset, Houston and the Progressive Conservative party won a majority government in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election, becoming the first Progressive Conservative premier since 2009. Houston ran on a
Red Tory
A Red Tory is an adherent of a centre to centre-right or paternalistic-conservative political philosophy derived from the Tory tradition, most predominantly in Canada but also in the United Kingdom and Australia. This philosophy tends to favour ...
platform that promised more spending on health care.
Premier of Nova Scotia
Houston and his cabinet were sworn in on August 31, 2021.
Healthcare system
Houston was elected on a platform to fix Nova Scotia's healthcare system.
A day after being sworn in, Houston fired the CEO and board of the
Nova Scotia Health Authority
The Nova Scotia Health Authority is a provincial health authority serving Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the largest employer in the province, with more than 23,000 employees, 2,500 physicians and 7,000 volunteers working from 45 different facilities. ...
(NSHA), the provincial healthcare provider. He stated that he "needed a clean slate at the helm of his leadership team" for the Tories' intended overhaul of the healthcare system. Houston appointed a new NSHA board as well as a new CEO, Karen Oldfield, who possessed no healthcare experience. Critics drew attention to the lack of diversity of the new board, as the first and only Black and Indigenous board members were both dismissed.
The Houston government lifted Nova Scotia's COVID-19 measures in March 2022, including public health restrictions and mask requirements. Infectious disease experts questioned the move and predicted a rise in cases. In May 2022, the government lifted mask requirements in public schools. In July 2022, the government ended the requirement for those infected with COVID-19 to isolate. The lifting of pandemic precautions led to a surge in the disease (and associated deaths) and strained the healthcare system.
By mid-2022, Nova Scotia's family doctor waitlist hit an all-time high of 100,000, prompting opposition leaders to accuse Houston of breaking his campaign promise to fix healthcare.
Crown corporations
Shortly after taking office, Houston launched a review of 20 provincial Crown corporations to " nsurethe most efficient and accountable methodology for the undertaking of their respective tasks".
In July 2022, the Houston government announced a reshuffle of several agencies. Nova Scotia Lands and
Develop Nova Scotia
Develop Nova Scotia Limited was a Crown corporation of Nova Scotia, Canada responsible for the implementation and administration of strategic infrastructure and property projects.
Founded in 1976 as the Waterfront Development Corporation Limited ...
will be merged to form a new corporation called Build Nova Scotia.
Innovacorp
Innovacorp is a Nova Scotia crown corporation managing an early-stage venture capital fund. The organization was established under Nova Scotia’s Innovation Corporation Act, 1994–95, c. 5, s. 1. Its goal is to help early stage Nova Scotia comp ...
, Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI), and the Invest Nova Scotia Fund will be merged into the new Invest Nova Scotia. Decision-making power was removed from boards, with the organisations placed under direct government control: Invest Nova Scotia will report directly to the minister of economic development, while Build Nova Scotia will be overseen by the minister for public works. Existing CEOs and boards were sacked.
Houston was accused of
nepotism
Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
after appointing "personal friends" as interim CEOs of the two new agencies; Tom Hickey will lead Invest Nova Scotia, while Wayne Crawley will head Build Nova Scotia. Each will receive up to $18,000 a month in remuneration. Nova Scotia NDP leader
Claudia Chender
Claudia Chender (born 1977) Hickey resigned two weeks into his appointment, citing an inability to commit enough time to the role.
Art gallery
Citing rising costs, Houston announced in July 2022 an indefinite "pause" to plans to construct a new
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up approximately of space. The museum complex compr ...
. Construction was supposed to begin in late 2022 on a new gallery complex, designed by Halifax architect
Omar Gandhi Omar Gandhi Architect is a Canadian architectural firm established in 2010, with two small studios located in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Toronto, Ontario. The firm is known for its work blending contemporary architectural style with rural vernacular ...
, on the Halifax waterfront.
Personal life
Houston lives in Pictou County with his wife Carol, and children Paget and Zachary.
In 2017, it came to light that his name had been mentioned several times in the
Paradise Papers
The Paradise Papers are a set of over 13.4 million confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investments that were leaked to the German reporters Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, from the newspaper'' Süddeutsch ...
. because he held management positions with Bermuda-based reinsurance companies while living and working in Bermuda, where he was listed as director and vice-president of Inter-Ocean Holdings and several related companies.
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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Clarrie MacKinnon
Clarence "Clarrie" MacKinnon is a former Canadian politician, who represented the constituency of Pictou East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2006 to 2013. He was a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
MacKinnon has a Bach ...
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...