Province House Tours and Activities

Officially known as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Province House is yet another one of the many National Historic Sites of Canada in the capital city. This is where the Nova Scotia Legislature has met every year since 1819, making it Province House the longest serving legislative building in Canada. It was also the first form of responsible government in the British Empire outside the United Kingdom, and it therefore played a significant role in the development of responsible government, parliamentary democracy and freedom of the press in Canada.

An imposing three-story building, Province House is often regarded as being the finest example of Georgian-Palladian architecture on this side of the pond – famed writer Charles Dickens even called Province House “a gem of Georgian architecture” upon his visit in 1842. Province House consists of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly room, home to the Nova Scotia's elected legislature, the Library, which is the former Supreme Court, the Red Chamber, formerly the meeting place of the Nova Scotia Council and later the Legislative Council, and of course, the court yard.