HALIFAX — Nova Scotia residents could find themselves in the middle of an early provincial election campaign starting today.

Premier Tim Houston is holding a rally in Halifax this afternoon amid swirling speculation that he plans to dissolve the legislature and trigger a province-wide vote.

The election call would come months before the fixed provincial election date of July 15, 2025, but would not be a surprise.

Houston signaled in June that he was no longer committed to that date, despite it being included in the first bill his government passed after taking office in 2021.

The Progressive Conservatives are seeking a second straight term after ousting the Liberals from power last August — a victory that was the result of a near single-minded focus on the need to fix the province’s ailing health-care system.

This time around, the opposition Liberals and New Democrats, led by Zach Churchill and Claudia Chender respectively, are expected to highlight what they see as the government’s failure to deliver on its health care promises.

They are also likely to attack the Conservatives for what they describe as the government’s neglect of other pressing issues, like the province’s lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of living.

The Progressive Conservatives currently hold 34 of the 55 seats in the Legislative Assembly.

The Liberals hold 14 seats, the NDP has six and there is one independent.

The Canadian Press