By Canadian Press

Nova Scotia Liberals’ win confirmed in last of three recounts in tight ridings

Jun 12, 2017 | 4:45 AM

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s governing Liberals have retained every seat they won in the May 30 election, after a third judicial recount Monday confirmed a tight win on the province’s south shore.

Liberal Hugh MacKay’s victory over NDP incumbent Denise Peterson-Rafuse in Chester-St. Margaret’s grew by one vote, to 91 votes.

MacKay took 3,112 votes in the recount, overseen by Justice James Chipman in Halifax, while Rafuse took 3,021, one fewer than the official count.

Tory candidate Julie Chaisson gained a vote, to 2,230, while Green party hopeful Harry Ward’s vote was unchanged at 413.

MacKay, a former geo-information technologies consultant, upset Peterson-Rafuse, who had held the seat since 2009, when the NDP swept to power with a majority government under then-leader Darrell Dexter.

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She served as community services minister and was re-elected in 2013, although the New Democrats were ousted from power by the Liberals.

Peterson-Rafuse took a leave of absence in April 2016 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but returned to sit in the legislature that fall.

Judicial recounts last week confirmed Liberal victories in two other ridings where the party snagged razor-thin wins.

Bill Horne was confirmed Friday as the winner in Waverley-Fall River-Beaverbank, while Lloyd Hines was confirmed in Guysborough-Eastern Shore-Tracadie, ensuring the Liberals would retain their slim majority in the 51-seat legislature.

The Liberals have 27 seats, the Progressive Conservatives 17 and the NDP 7.

The Canadian Press

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