Gary Burrill Steps Down As Nova Scotia NDP Leader
HALIFAX–Nova Scotia NDP leader Gary Burrill has said he will step down as the party’s leader.
The United Church minister made the announcement November 9, saying it was the “right moment” to step aside.
Burrill was first elected in in 2009. He was put in charge of the Nova Scotia NDP in 2016, on a promise to refocus the party and bring its policies back to the left.
He subsequently went through two general elections as the NDP’s leader.
In last August’s election, after campaigning on a platform highlighting rent control and a $15 an hour minimum wage, the NDP failed to make any significant progress with voters.
The party picked up a single seat, growing its caucus from five to six members.
Burrill said today he hasn’t faced any pressure to step down as leader but that the party needs a new face to take it through the next election.
In a statement released November 9, Premier Tim Houston said Burrill has “worked on behalf of Nova Scotians for more than a decade.”
“While we have not always agreed on policy, he has always wanted to make life better for Nova Scotians and for that I thank him. I wish him the best of luck for the future,” Houston said.
Burrill said he will remain at the helm of the NDP until the party picks a new leader, which will happen within the next year.
He said he will continue to sit as an MLA once a new NDP leader is chosen, but did not say weather he will run in the next election.