Nova Scotia legislative assembly to be sworn in, elect Speaker Friday

Members of Nova Scotia’s legislative assembly will be sworn in Friday morning.

Members of the government, the official Opposition and the third party will be sworn in in that order at 9:15 a.m.

The swearing-in will come a day after Premier Stephen McNeil is scheduled to name his new cabinet, which is likely to see new faces with the ousting of two ministers in the May election and Justice Minister Diana Whalen’s decision not to run again.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil to name new cabinet on Thursday

Of those elected, 11 are new to the House, while MLA-elect Keith Bain, and NDP Leader and MLA-elect Gary Burrill previously held seats in the legislative assembly before they were both unseated by the Liberals in 2013.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, the House of Assembly will resume at 12 p.m. for a one-day special sitting to elect the Speaker and enable the establishment of committees.

Eastern Shore MLA-elect Kevin Murphy held the role of Speaker during the previous mandate of the Liberals. He was the first Speaker in any Canadian jurisdiction to have a permanent long-term physical disability. He is a spinal cord injured quadriplegic as a result of a hockey accident in 1985.

The Liberals were elected to their second straight —but much slimmer — majority May 30, when they took 27 seats compared to their 2013 win of 34 seats. The Progressive Conservatives maintained their position as the official Opposition with 17 seats, while the NDP won seven.