The Speaker for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia is the presiding Officer of the House of Assembly. Danielle Barkhouse is the current Speaker of the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia.
The Speaker presides over the proceedings of the Assembly, maintains order, regulates debate in accordance with the rules and practices of the House, and ensures that all viewpoints have the opportunity of a hearing.
The Speaker does not take part in the debates of the Assembly and only takes part in a vote to cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie. He is the guardian of the privileges of the Assembly and protects the rights of its Members.
The Speaker is the only representative of the House of Assembly. The Speaker has jurisdiction and day to day control over all matters concerning Province House, including operations, maintenance and restoration, and administration of the adjacent office complexes at One Government Place, the George Building, and the Provincial Building. The Speaker is the Chair of the Legislature Internal Economy Board, the body responsible for regulating services to Members.
In the House, Speaker decides questions of order and rules on questions of privilege after allowing appropriate debate. Decisions of the Speaker are not debatable or subject to appeal except by a substantive motion after proper notice has been given.
Speakers of the House of Assembly
edit| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral district (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | General Assembly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Sanderson MLA (1696–after 1761) |
1758–1759 | Independent | 1st | ||
| 2 | William Nesbitt MLA for Halifax County (1707–1784) |
1759–1783 | Independent | 2nd | ||
| 3rd | ||||||
| 4th | ||||||
| 5th | ||||||
| 3 | 
|
Thomas Cochran MLA for Liverpool Township (1733–1801) |
1784–1785 | Independent | ||
| 4 | 
|
Sampson Salter Blowers MLA for Halifax County (1742–1842) |
1785–1789 | Independent | 6th | |
| 5 | 
|
Richard John Uniacke MLA for Halifax County (1753–1830) |
1789–1793 | Independent | ||
| 6 | Thomas Henry Barclay MLA for Halifax County (1753–1830) |
1793–1799 | Independent | 7th | ||
| (5) |
|
Richard John Uniacke MLA for Queens County (1753–1830) |
1799–1805 | Independent | ||
| 8th | ||||||
| 7 | William Cottnam Tonge MLA for Newport Township (1764–1832) |
1805–1806 | Independent | |||
| 8 | Lewis Morris Wilkins MLA for Lunenburg County (1768–1848) |
1806–1817 | Conservative | 9th | ||
| 10th | ||||||
| 9 | Simon Bradstreet Robie MLA for Halifax County (1770–1858) |
1817–1824 | Conservative | |||
| 11th | ||||||
| 12th | ||||||
| 10 | 
|
Samuel George William Archibald MLA for Halifax County (until 1836) MLA for Colchester County (from 1836) (1777–1846) |
1824–1840 | Reformer | ||
| 13th | ||||||
| 14th | ||||||
| 15th | ||||||
| 11 | 
|
Joseph Howe MLA for Halifax County (1804–1873) |
1840–1843 | Reformer | 16th | |
| 12 | 
|
William Young MLA for Inverness County (1799–1887) |
1843–1855 | Reformer | 17th | |
| 18th | ||||||
| 19th | ||||||
| 13 | Stewart Campbell MLA for Guysborough County (1812–1885) |
1855–1863 | Liberal | 20th | ||
| 22nd | ||||||
| 14 | 
|
John Chipman Wade MLA for Digby County (1817–1892) |
1863–1867 | Conservative | 23rd | |
| 15 | John Joseph Marshall MLA for Guysborough (1807–1870) |
1867–1870 | Anti-Confederation | 24th | ||
| 16 | Jared C. Troop MLA for Annapolis (1837–1876) |
1870–1874 | Anti-Confederation | |||
| Liberal | 25th | |||||
| 17 | John Barnhill Dickie MLA for Colchester (1829–1886) |
1874–1875 | Liberal | 26th | ||
| 18 | Mather Byles DesBrisay MLA for Lunenburg (1828–1900) |
1875–1876 | Liberal | |||
| 19 | Isaac N. Mack MLA for Queens (1838–1925) |
1877–1878 | Liberal | |||
| 20 | 
|
Ebenezer Tilton Moseley MLA for Cape Breton (1844–1898) |
1878–1882 | Liberal-Conservative | 27th | |
| 21 | Angus McGillivray MLA for Antigonish (1842–1917) |
1882–1886 | Liberal | 28th | ||
| 22 | Michael Joseph Power MLA for Halifax (1834–1895) |
1886–1894 | Liberal | 29th | ||
| 30th | ||||||
| 23 | 
|
Frederick Andrew Laurence MLA for Colchester (1843–1912) |
1894–1901 | Liberal | 31st | |
| 32nd | ||||||
| 24 | 
|
Thomas Robertson MLA for Shelburne (1852–1902) |
1902 | Liberal | 33rd | |
| (23) |
|
Frederick Andrew Laurence MLA for Colchester (1843–1912) |
1903–1904 | Liberal | ||
| 25 | Edward Matthew Farrell MLA for Queens (1854–1931) |
1905–1910 | Liberal | |||
| 34th | ||||||
| 26 | 
|
George Everett Faulkner MLA for Halifax (1855–1931) |
1910–1911 | Liberal | ||
| 27 | James F. Ellis MLA for Guysborough (1869–1937) |
1912–1916 | Liberal | 35th | ||
| 36th | ||||||
| 28 | Robert Irwin MLA for Shelburne (1865–1941) |
1917–1925 | Liberal | |||
| 37th | ||||||
| 29 | Albert Parsons MLA for Hants (1869–1948) |
1926–1928 | Liberal-Conservative | 38th | ||
| 30 | Daniel George McKenzie MLA for Hants (1860–1940) |
1929–1933 | Liberal-Conservative | 39th | ||
| 31 | 
|
Lindsay C. Gardner MLA for Yarmouth (1875–1938) |
1934–1938 | Liberal | 40th | |
| 41st | ||||||
| 32 | Moses Elijah McGarry MLA for Inverness (1878–1949) |
1939–1940 | Liberal | |||
| 33 | Gordon E. Romkey MLA for Lunenburg (1885–1977) |
1940–1953 | Liberal | |||
| 42nd | ||||||
| 43rd | ||||||
| 44th | ||||||
| 34 | John Smith MacIvor MLA for Cape Breton South (1913–1957) |
1954–1956 | Liberal | 45th | ||
| 35 | W. S. Kennedy Jones MLA for Queens (1919–1978) |
1957–1960 | Progressive Conservative | 46th | ||
| 36 | Harvey Veniot MLA for Pictou West (1915–2009) |
1961–1968 | Progressive Conservative | 47th | ||
| 48th | ||||||
| 49th | ||||||
| 37 | Gordon H. Fitzgerald MLA for Halifax Cobequid (1927–2014) |
1969–1970 | Progressive Conservative | |||
| 38 | George M. Mitchell MLA for Halifax Cornwallis (born 1932) |
1970–1973 | Liberal | 50th | ||
| 39 | James L. Connolly MLA for Halifax Chebucto (1927–2014) |
1973–1974 | Liberal | |||
| 40 | Vince MacLean MLA for Cape Breton South (born 1944) |
1974–1976 | Liberal | 51st | ||
| 41 | George Doucet MLA for Halifax Cobequid (born 1939) |
1977–1978 | Liberal | |||
| 42 | Ron Russell MLA for Hants West (1926–2019) |
1978–1981 | Progressive Conservative | 52nd | ||
| 43 | Art Donahoe MLA for Halifax Citadel (born 1940) |
1981–1991 | Progressive Conservative | |||
| 53rd | ||||||
| 54th | ||||||
| 55th | ||||||
| (42) | Ron Russell MLA for Hants West (1926–2019) |
1991–1993 | Progressive Conservative | |||
| 44 | Paul MacEwan MLA for Cape Breton Nova (1943–2017) |
1993–1996 | Liberal | 56th | ||
| 45 | Wayne Gaudet MLA for Clare (born 1955) |
1996–1997 | Liberal | |||
| 46 | Gerry Fogarty MLA for Halifax Bedford Basin |
1997–1998 | Liberal | |||
| (42) | Ron Russell MLA for Hants West (1926–2019) |
1998–1999 | Progressive Conservative | 57th | ||
| 47 | Murray Scott MLA for Cumberland South (born 1953) |
1999–2006 | Progressive Conservative | 58th | ||
| 59th | ||||||
| 48 | Cecil Clarke MLA for Cape Breton North (born 1968) |
2006–2007 | Progressive Conservative | 60th | ||
| 49 | 
|
Alfie MacLeod MLA for Cape Breton West (born 1956) |
2007–2009 | Progressive Conservative | ||
| 50 | Charlie Parker MLA for Pictou West (born 1951) |
2009–2011 | New Democratic | 61st | ||
| 51 | Gordie Gosse MLA for Cape Breton Nova (1955–2019) |
2011–2013 | New Democratic | |||
| 52 | Kevin Murphy MLA for Eastern Shore (born 1970) |
2013–2021 | Liberal | 62nd | ||
| 63rd | ||||||
| 53 | Keith Bain MLA for Victoria-The Lakes (born 1952) |
2021–2023 | Progressive Conservative | 64th | ||
| 54 | 
|
Karla MacFarlane MLA for Pictou West (born 1969) |
2023–2024 | Progressive Conservative | ||
| 55 | Danielle Barkhouse MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's (born 1976) |
2024- | Progressive Conservative | |||