Former Halifax mayor Mike Savage installed as Nova Scotia’s lieutenant-governor

HALIFAX — Former Halifax mayor Mike Savage was sworn in Friday as Nova Scotia’s 34th lieutenant-governor during a ceremony at the provincial legislature.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Savage’s appointment as the King’s representative in Nova Scotia in October.

Savage, accompanied by his wife Darlene, was installed after taking the oath of office in the legislature’s ornate Red Room before a host of dignitaries, including Premier Tim Houston and Arthur J. LeBlanc, who had held the viceregal position since 2017.

In his address, Savage noted the presence of his two sisters and spoke of his late mother Margaret and his late father John Savage, a former Liberal premier of Nova Scotia in the 1990s.

“My late parents, John and Margaret, instilled in all of their children a deep appreciation for public service in every sense,” he said. “They recognized our good fortune and the importance of giving back through service to our families, friends and communities.”

Before his appointment by the prime minister, Savage served 12 years as mayor of Atlantic Canada’s largest city and announced in February that he would not seek re-election. Before becoming mayor, he was the MP for the federal riding of Dartmouth-Cole Harbour fro seven years.

“Having spent 20 years in elected office, part of it in the highly partisan atmosphere of Parliament and then in the less partisan role as mayor, I welcome this next stage as a non-political servant of the people,” Savage said.

Viceregal appointees generally serve five-year terms, although LeBlanc, Nova Scotia’s first Acadian lieutenant-governor, served for nearly seven-and-a-half years.

LeBlanc’s last official function took place on Thursday, when he presided over the swearing in of Houston’s new cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press