STRAIT AREA - For the first time in 23 years, all four provincial ridings in the Strait of Canso have elected MLAs to a single party as a result of Nova Scotia's latest election. 

And, as was the case in 1998, all four are joining the governing party caucus, as Premier-designate Tim Houston's defeat of Liberal incumbent Iain Rankin has come partly at the hands of local candidates Trevor Boudreau (Richmond), Greg Morrow (Guysborough-Tracadie), Michelle Thompson (Antigonish) and Allan MacMaster (Inverness). Of the four, only MacMaster had any previous experience in provincial politics, with the August 17 election representing his fourth consecutive victory since 2009. 

Morrow, who served as news director for Port Hawkesbury's 101.5 The Hawk FM from 2008 until his entry into provincial politics this past spring, suggested that Houston's positive approach - which even extended to the press releases Morrow received in his previous media life - showed local voters that the PC Leader was more than an opposition leader and was ready to take on the challenge of leading Nova Scotia to a promising future. 

Boudreau confirmed that he has already started to have discussions with municipal leaders such as Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette and Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, and pledged to keep up a strong local presence even after he and his colleagues are sworn in on Tuesday morning in Halifax. 

Meanwhile, MacMaster said he is looking forward to a more open and transparent means of conducting business in the legislature that differs from the previous Liberal administration, which was the only provincial government in Canada to avoid regular legislature sittings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

All three MLAs interviewed by TELILE 24/7 host/producer Adam Cooke agreed that Thompson, who served as CEO of the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home in Antigonish before entering provincial politics earlier this year, will bring invaluable experience and perspective to the hew PC government's discussions on improving Nova Scotia's long-term-care system.