List of Nova Scotia opposition leaders explained

This is a list of leaders of the opposition party in the Nova Scotia Legislature, both as a colony and a Province of Canada. Since 1928, when its upper house, the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was abolished, the province has had a unicameral parliamentary government. From Confederation, however, Nova Scotia has exclusively followed the modern Westminster convention whereby the leader of the opposition is the leader of the party that controls the second most seats in the House of Assembly.

Leaders of the opposition of the colony of Nova Scotia (1848–1867)

	Picture	Name	Party	Term			Conservative	1848–1857				1857–1860				1860–1864				1864–1867

Leaders of the opposition of the Province of Nova Scotia, since Confederation (1867–present)

	Picture	Name	Party	Term				1867–1874				1875–1878		N/A		1879–1882				1883–1886				1887–1890				1891–1894				1895–1897				1898–1901				1902–1908				1909				1910–1911				1912–1916				1917–1920				1921–1925				1926–1930				1931–1933				1934–1937				1938–1939				1940				1941				1942–1945				1946–1949				1950–1956				1957–1960				1961–1963				1964–1967				1968–1970				1970–1971				1971–1978				1978–1979				1980				1980–1984				1985				1985–1986				1986–1992				1992–1993				1993–1995				1995–1998				1998–1999		Robert Chisholm (NDP), Russell MacLellan (Liberal), Wayne Gaudet (Liberal)	Duties shared between Liberals and NDP	1999–2001				2001				2001–2009				2009–2013		Jamie Baillie	Progressive Conservative	2013–2018		Karla MacFarlane	Progressive Conservative	2018		Tim Houston	Progressive Conservative	2018–2021		Iain Rankin	Liberal	2021–2022				2022-present