The 2003 Nova Scotia general election was held on August 5, 2003, to elect members of the 59th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The ruling Progressive Conservative Party, led by Premier John Hamm, was reduced to a minority government.
The election was called by Progressive Conservatives, who decided to hold a rare summer election in the hope of strengthening their hold on the legislature. Running against them were the New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Darrell Dexter, and the Liberal Party, led by Danny Graham.
Hamm's party ran on a policy of fiscal management, tax cuts, and on their record of fulfilling most of their promises. While the NDP agreed in principle to tax cuts, their main cause was the creation of a public auto insurance company. The Liberals were the only party to criticize the tax cuts.
For the most part, the campaign was quiet and uneventful. Hamm received criticism for a great number of spending programs, including a $150 tax rebate cheque sent to Nova Scotians right before the election. The party was also criticized for holding an election in the summer when most people have other concerns. Darrell Dexter's friendly, non-confrontational style, was popular with many voters, and was a marked change from his party's usually strident socialism. Danny Graham, a young leader, was popular, but failed to make much of a mark.
The election was considered a mild failure for the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives, and something of a success for the NDP.
This election is also notable for being one of the last Canadian provincial elections in which British subjects could vote (a tiny number can still vote provincially in Saskatchewan if they were qualified in 1971).[1]
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bold denotes party leader
† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest