Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston shuffles cabinet, drops three ministers

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston shuffled his cabinet on Tuesday in a ceremony closed to the media, dropping three members who oversaw the departments of justice, energy and natural resources.

In a news release, the premier said he will take over the energy department from Trevor Boudreau, adding to his existing roles as minister of intergovernmental affairs and minister of trade.

“I want to turn Nova Scotia into an energy superpower,” Houston said in the statement. 

Kim Masland, minister of emergency management, will take over the natural resources portfolio from Tory Rushton. 

Scott Armstrong, who up until the shuffle oversaw the Department of Opportunities and Social Development, is replacing Becky Druhan as attorney general and justice minister. 

Houston thanked Rushton, Druhan and Boudreau, all three of whom will continue to sit as MLAs, the statement said.

The cabinet changes, Houston said, will enable the government to stay focused on energy and resource development. “Responsible resource development will power our economy for generations, combat poverty and help Nova Scotians earn more money.”

The new cabinet was sworn in Tuesday during a ceremony at the lieutenant-governor’s downtown residence that was closed to media. 

“We opted for a private, small ceremony at Government House. Members were able to share the special moment with family and close friends,” Catherine Klimek, a spokesperson for the premier’s office, said in an email Tuesday.

Tuesday’s event marked the second time journalists have been barred from attending a cabinet swearing-in ceremony with Houston’s Progressive Conservatives. In a departure from a long-standing tradition of open coverage, the premier’s Dec. 12 ceremony in a downtown convention centre also excluded reporters.

For the December ceremony the government allowed one television outlet to take pool video — to be shared with other media — citing “limited capacity” inside the building that occupies a full city block. Journalists who tried to enter that day were turned away by building security. 

As part of the new cabinet, Barbara Adams will become minister of opportunities and social development while keeping her existing portfolios as minister of seniors and long-term care. She will also remain deputy premier. 

The new cabinet has two new members: John A. Macdonald and John White. MacDonald, the member for East Hants, is the new minister of municipal affairs, while the former minister in the role, John Lohr, stays on as the minister of finance and treasury board. White is the new the minister of housing — a role that was eliminated in December 2024 when the portfolio was folded into the Department of Growth and Development. 

However, Klimek said White’s appointment does not establish housing as a stand-alone department. She said it will be an office under the growth and development department that continues to be led by Colton LeBlanc.

The official Opposition NDP issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that appointing a minister without creating a dedicated housing department shows that government is “more interested in public relations that solutions.”

Suzy Hansen, the NDP housing critic, said the “government is doing half the job” by naming a minister, and needs “to take the housing crisis seriously and the changes Nova Scotians need. Without a dedicated (housing) department, we won’t hold our breath.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025.