New Democrats will form the next Official Opposition in Nova Scotia in Tuesday’s provincial election, as the Liberal vote collapsed across the province and the Progressive Conservatives cruised to another majority government.

Claudia Chender wasn’t able to bring the Nova Scotia NDP fully back to power on Tuesday night, but her electoral victories restored the party to its strongest position in a decade and made provincial history in the process.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said he needed a strong, fresh mandate to negotiate with the federal government on issues such as carbon pricing.