Iain Rankin will be the next premier of Nova Scotia.
Rankin was elected following a vote by Nova Scotia Liberal Party delegates, with the results announced Saturday night during a virtual convention.
He defeated fellow former cabinet ministers Labi Kousoulis and Randy Delorey. Delorey was dropped following the first ballot after earning the fewest points.
About 97 per cent of the 8,100 delegates cast a ranked ballot.
Rankin instantly becomes leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party and is now premier-designate. Stephen McNeil remains premier of the province until Rankin and his cabinet are sworn in, likely in a few weeks.
At 37, Rankin was the youngest of the three candidates and he positioned himself as a candidate for generational change.
Much of his policy has been framed through an environmental lens, with Rankin pledging to form an economic recovery from the pandemic rooted in green policies.
Among other things, Rankin has pledged to get the province off coal and increase the use of renewable energy sooner than commitments established by McNeil’s government. He’s also promised to implement the recommendations of the Lahey Report of forestry practices, which would see a drastic reduction in clear cutting.
Rankin inherits a province with a miniscule COVID-19 rate but a massive deficit as a result of the pandemic.
With mass vaccination not expected before the fall and the province’s vital tourism sector already bracing for another down year, Rankin has acknowledged efforts to tackle the deficit must take a backseat to keeping as many small businesses above water as possible.
An understated campaign
The campaign was a largely understated affair due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early in the process, public health protocols forced all three campaigns to go fully virtual, with no physical interaction between the candidates and prospective supporters.
Instead, candidates hosted online and telephone town halls to meet with people and to share their ideas. The three party-sanctioned debates were also virtual events.
Even Saturday’s convention will have just a handful of people in attendance, with each candidate and his team having their own rooms and not being able to interact.
