Nova Scotia Tory leader Houston strives to balance combative and personable sides

Tim Houston was connected his mode to his big, bluish run autobus extracurricular a Halifax edifice earlier this week erstwhile helium spotted a tiny radical of operation workers passing by connected the sidewalk.

“How are things going,” Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative person said with an casual grin arsenic helium walked implicit to shingle hands with the hard-hatted workers.

“Oh, conscionable engaged gathering Nova Scotia, Tim,” 1 of the radical replied with a chuckle.

The relaxed run brushwood demonstrated 1 broadside of the antheral who is seeking a 2nd word successful bureau arsenic Nova Scotia’s premier — a broadside that adjacent helium concedes mightiness not beryllium that good known to the public.

“It’s absorbing that erstwhile I conscionable people, there’s a mates of things they mostly say,” helium said successful an interrogation Monday arsenic helium sat backmost connected the autobus up of a time of knocking connected doors successful the adjacent suburb of Cole Harbour.

“Number 1 happening they accidental is, ‘You are taller than I thought,’ and the fig 2 happening is, ‘You are nicer than I thought,’ ” Houston said.

Since archetypal being elected to the provincial legislature successful 2013 representing the riding of Pictou East, the 54-year-old Houston has mostly travel crossed arsenic a combative politician. He archetypal roseate to prominence arsenic a fierce professional of erstwhile Liberal premier Stephen McNeil, and helium seemed to relish the relation of being a thorn successful McNeil’s broadside during debates successful the legislature.

Elected enactment person successful 2018, Houston became premier 3 years aboriginal erstwhile the Tories won a majority. He has since cemented his nationalist representation arsenic a partisan defender of his government’s record.

Houston called a provincial predetermination for Nov. 26 precocious past month, saying helium needed a caller mandate to woody with a national authorities helium maintains has sold Nova Scotia short.

High connected his database of grievances are Ottawa’s imposition of c pricing and its refusal to wage the full outgo of the costly enactment needed to support the Chignecto Isthmus, the low-lying onshore nexus betwixt New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that is progressively astatine hazard of terrible flooding.

Houston makes nary apologies for his rocky narration with the national Liberals and says helium volition proceed to basal up for his state if re-elected, careless of who ends up successful powerfulness aft the adjacent national election.

“Whoever is successful Ottawa, they are going to spot the aforesaid Tim Houston arsenic Prime Minister Trudeau (sees),” helium said. “On issues wherever we tin enactment unneurotic … past we’re going to get on great, but connected issues wherever they effort to short-change Nova Scotians, they volition perceive from maine connected that.”

Houston and his woman Carol person 2 children, Paget and Zachary. He was calved successful Halifax but grew up successful a subject household and spent his aboriginal years moving astir assorted parts of the country, including Prince Edward Island, Ontario and British Columbia, earlier his household settled successful Halifax. He said the acquisition of being a alleged “base brat” has played a important relation successful his outlook.

“I bash deliberation increasing up successful a subject household teaches you a batch astir resilience, you are moving astir a lot, you’re making caller friends … it conscionable teaches you a batch astir operation and however to get on with people.”

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He said helium didn’t turn up successful a governmental household and didn’t go funny successful authorities until helium and his woman returned to Nova Scotia successful 2007, aft spending much than a decennary surviving successful Bermuda, wherever helium worked arsenic a chartered accountant successful planetary finance.

Attracted to the give-and-take of governmental jousting, Houston said determination person been times wherever he’s had to archer himself “OK, you’ve made your point.”

“I deliberation arsenic premier I’ve shown that I volition listen,” helium said. “Sometimes we get it incorrect and erstwhile idiosyncratic tin amusement you that you’re wrong, past I person an work to beryllium an big and admit that.”

One illustration was during the caller autumn sitting of the legislature erstwhile the authorities passed projected NDP authorities declaring intimate spouse unit an epidemic successful the province. The swift reversal came little than an hr aft Houston told reporters helium didn’t deliberation the authorities was indispensable and besides aft a tense speech involving 4 women from the private-sector national Unifor who were advocating for the bill.

Polls constituent toward a instrumentality to powerfulness connected Tuesday for the Progressive Conservatives aft a run dominated by issues specified arsenic wellness care, a deficiency of affordable lodging and the precocious outgo of living. Looking ahead, Houston said helium recognizes the satellite governmental concern could airs challenges for the province, peculiarly successful its narration with the United States and its president-elect Donald Trump.

Despite the governmental uncertainty, Houston pointed to Trump’s pledge to marque countries specified arsenic Canada summation their NATO publication to 2 per cent of GDP arsenic a imaginable accidental for Nova Scotia, which has a beardown subject presence. He said it’s apt determination volition beryllium much defence spending successful Canada.

“If we decently navigate, that could beryllium incredibly beneficial to our economy,” said Houston. “The (political) h2o volition get choppy, but with immoderate imaginativeness and immoderate clarity and beardown leadership, we tin bash conscionable fine.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Nov. 22, 2024.