Nova Scotia is in the throes of a summer election — its first since 2003.
Premier Iain Rankin has taken some criticism — largely from the PC Party — over the decision to call a summer election.
But Jim Bickerton, a professor of political science at St. Francis Xavier University, says there’s likely a reason Rankin called a summer election.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bickerton says, the governing Liberal Party has gotten more attention than either the NDP or PC Party over the past year, Bickerston says
“The current Liberal government has been strong in the polls, as a result of generally favourable public opinion of the handling of COVID in this province,” says Bickerton. “The current new leader and premier is hoping to cash in on that, and the longer he waits before an election call the less likely he’s able to ride that wave of public approval.”