First elected assembly meets in Nova Scotia
Account of the first meeting of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Collections of the Nova Scotia Legislative Library
October 2, 1758
On October 2, 1758, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly met for the first time to deliberate on issues affecting the colony. The assembly consisted of 22 men — mostly merchants — who passed two laws pertaining to alcohol taxation and limiting land ownership in the colony. Although the majority of Nova Scotia’s citizens were not eligible to vote or run for office, the Assembly was the first elected assembly in Canadian history and marked a first step in the development of representative parliamentary democracy in Canada.
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