Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Speaker for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia is the presiding Officer of the House of Assembly. Karla MacFarlane 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

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

External links

• House of Assembly Official Site