Nova Scotia has probably been more drastically affected by the war than any other Canadian province. The depression which long engulfed the fishing, mining, and shipbuilding industries gave way in 1940 and 1941 to intense activity. Halifax once more came into its own as a great world port. With the renewed economic activity there developed a considerable amount of labor unrest, particularly in the coal mines. The past year and a half saw eighteen strikes in the coal mines alone. These are to be attributed to bad living conditions, arbitrary actions by management, and, to a lesser extent, dissatisfaction with the prevailing wage scale. Divisions within the unions also seemed to account for a considerable amount of labor's unrest. In addition to the mines, discontent was also evident among longshoremen, shipyard workers, fish cutters, and foundry workers. Although labor in the Maritime provinces is wholly behind the government in the prosecution of the war, there can be no question that the prevailing dissatisfaction interfered with the war effort.
A sweeping victory was scored by the Liberal Party in Nova Scotia's 1941 provincial elections which were held at the end of October. Liberals won 23 of the 29 seats in the legislature, the remaining 6 seats being equally divided between the Conservatives and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. Mr. L. W. Faser, leader of the Conservatives, met defeat in the election. The Liberals have been continually in power in the province since 1933.
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