HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s premier is crediting a change in federal leadership for renewed traction in the province’s pursuit of offshore oil and gas development.

Tim Houston said Thursday morning that former prime minister Justin Trudeau essentially forced the province to shelve an offshore oil and gas exploration project a few years ago, but current Prime Minister Mark Carney is supporting the province’s efforts to grow the economy.

In 2023, the provincial and federal governments jointly vetoed a winning bid by U.K.-based Inceptio Oil and Gas Ltd. to explore for the resource in Nova Scotia’s offshore waters.

Last week a joint federal-provincial regulator approved another $210-million exploration bid from the same company.

Asked by reporters what changed on Thursday, Houston said the big difference is that Trudeau is no longer in charge.

The Progressive Conservative said his government agreed to veto the 2023 bid in lockstep with Ottawa because the former prime minister said he would not discuss provincial plans for offshore wind development if it also explored oil and gas.

“We wanted to move something forward and it was the offshore wind that we pushed forward,” Houston told reporters after a cabinet meeting Thursday morning.

“Now we have a new prime minister and a new energy minister who want to grow our economy so we can do more, so we support the services across the country, but certainly in Nova Scotia. So I think what has changed is the political environment.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press