Preceded by Joan Massey Party Independent politician Role Politician | Name Andrew Younger | |
 | ||
Political party Independent (2015–present) | ||
Other political
affiliations Liberal (2009–2015) | ||
Andrew Younger is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2009 provincial election. He represented the electoral district of Dartmouth East as an independent. He was previously part of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party caucus and had served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Energy, Minister of Communications Nova Scotia, Minister Responsible for Gaming, and Minister of the Environment.
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Early life and career
Younger grew up in Dartmouth. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Political Science from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King's College.
Municipal politics
Younger was first elected to the legislature in 2009 after a five-year career on Halifax Regional Council. He was first elected to council in 2004 representing East Dartmouth - The Lakes, and was re-elected by acclamation in 2008.
Prior to being on council, Younger ran a television production and communications consulting company with international clients. He dedicated a significant portion of his work to social justice and environmental projects and assisted with development projects in West Africa including a women's micro-credit project in Niger and an AIDS education project in the Gambia.
During his time as an elected representative, Younger was recognized for his community and regional accomplishments including the development of a redevelopment plan for the Main Street business district in Dartmouth, his work improving Shubie Park and the Shubenacadie Canal system, and his role in the construction of the East Dartmouth Community Centre.
Younger has been involved in working on energy and environmental issues in Nova Scotia. As Chair of HRM's Energy Committee he was a player in the development and analysis of energy policy, and had a role in seeing a number of district, geothermal, and alternative energy projects moved forward. He is often asked to speak on energy and environmental issues at local and national conferences.
Provincial politics
On October 22, 2013, Younger was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Energy.
On March 25, 2015, Younger resigned from cabinet but remained MLA for Dartmouth East.
Younger returned to cabinet on July 24, 2015, when he was named Minister of Environment.
On November 5, 2015, Younger was removed from his cabinet position and ejected from the Liberal caucus, after failing to show up at the court case of someone accused of assaulting him by invoking legislative privilege.
After becoming an independent, Younger's private health information was leaked by the Premier's office. An independent report by the Nova Scotia Privacy Commissioner found that the Premier's office failed in its duty of care to protect health information and found staff in the office had not read policies meant to protect information.