Michael John Savage (born May 13, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia since 2024. The son of John Savage, he immigrated to Canada with his father from Belfast, Northern Ireland at the age of six. Savage served three terms as a Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour from 2004 to 2011, before serving three terms as the mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality from 2012 to 2024. His appointment as lieutenant governor was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in October 2024.
Early life and education
Savage was born on May 13, 1960 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents Margaret and John Savage. He has six siblings: three brothers and three sisters. Savage spent his early years in South Wales before immigrating to Canada with his parents at the age of six, when his family began living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He grew up in Dartmouth, graduating from Prince Andrew High School and later Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts in history. His father John was the mayor of Dartmouth from 1985 to 1992, and the 23rd premier of Nova Scotia from 1993 to 1997.
Career
Early career
After graduating from Dalhousie University, Savage spent the first two decades of his career working in business in Halifax. He worked as a general manager for S. Cunard & Co. from 1986 until 1997, when he became the sales and marketing director for Nova Scotia Power. Savage became vice-president of the corporate recruiting firm Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette in 2002.
Savage has served as president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, and was a member of the board of directors of the IWK. He has been involved with community organizations such as the Red Cross, Literacy Nova Scotia, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and the Neptune Theatre board.
Political career
Member of Parliament
Savage began his career in politics when he ran in the riding of Dartmouth in the 1997 federal election. He finished second behind Wendy Lill of the New Democratic Party (NDP).
Savage was elected Member of Parliament for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour in June 2004. He served on the committee which worked to enact the Civil Marriage Act in 2005, which legalized same-sex marriage across Canada. He was re-elected in 2006 and 2008.
On December 4, 2006, it was reported that Savage was considering a run for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. On December 19, Savage announced that he would not seek the leadership.
On May 2, 2011, Savage was defeated in the federal election by Robert Chisholm of the NDP; his riding was the only one in Nova Scotia not to re-elect the incumbent candidate in that election. Savage said at the time that he was proud of the work he had accomplished in Parliament, stating "in six weeks [of the campaign], no one told me I was a rotten person. But I understand how politics works, and you accept the judgment of the voters." After losing his seat, Savage became the vice-president of the Halifax public relations company M5 Communications and worked again in the private sector before going on to run for Mayor of Halifax.
Mayor of Halifax
thumb|Savage at the 2023 Halifax International Security Conference during his time as mayor
On February 6, 2012, Savage announced that he would run for Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality in that year's municipal elections. Savage was elected Mayor of Halifax on October 20, 2012, and sworn in on November 6. He was re-elected in the 2016 election and 2020 election.
During his time as Mayor, Savage supported a Canadian Football League (CFL) team coming to Halifax and construction of a corresponding stadium. By 2022 he was less optimistic about the prospects of a CFL team coming to Halifax, stating while there was interest from the CFL, getting a team in Halifax "just [isn't] going to happen the way we would have envisioned it five or six years ago." Savage suggested that construction of a stadium as originally conceived was no longer seen as desirable, and if the CFL were to come to Halifax it would more likely be in the Downtown area.
Savage has expressed a need for the federal government to provide more support to municipalities for housing. In 2023, as Mayor of Halifax and chair of the Big City Mayors' Caucus, he said that municipal governments were under significant financial pressure. Savage stated that although the federal government had accomplished a lot for Canadian cities, municipalities still required more support to meet goals for housing.
On February 13, 2024, Savage announced that he would not be running for a fourth term as mayor in the municipal elections later that year. In a speech at Halifax City Hall, he said being mayor of Halifax was "the best job [he] ever had". Savage discussed the improved relationship between the municipality and the Mi'kmaq community during his tenure, highlighting a key moment as council's decision to remove the statue of Edward Cornwallis. He was succeeded as mayor by Andy Fillmore on November 5, 2024.
Lieutenant governor
On October 13, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Savage would be the next lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, replacing Arthur LeBlanc. In preparation for the role, Savage held meetings with former lieutenant governors as well as former Governor General David Johnston. He was sworn in on December 13, 2024, and delivered his first throne speech when a new session of the legislature opened on February 14, 2025. As part of his role as lieutenant governor, Savage resides at Government House in Halifax and is responsible for conferring awards such as the Order of Nova Scotia and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Personal life
Savage is married to his wife, Darlene Savage; they have two children. He met his wife during his second year of university at Dalhousie, and once remarked that the best gift he ever received was a pair of Frye boots gifted by her for their first Christmas together as a couple.
Honours
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:silver; text-align:center;"
|Ribbon || Description || Notes
|-
|100px || Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal ||
- 2012
|-
|100px || Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal ||
- 2022
|-
|100px || King Charles III Coronation Medal ||
- 2024
|-
|100px || Order of Nova Scotia ||
- 2024
|-
|100px || Knight of the Order of Saint John ||
- 2024
|}
Electoral record
Municipal
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|2020 Halifax mayoral election
|-
! style="background:#ddf; width:200px;"| Candidate
! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;"| Votes
! style="background:#ddf; width:30px;"| %
|-
| Mike Savage
| 102,735
| 80.16
|-
| Matt Whitman
| 13,497
| 10.53
|-
| Total
| 128,160
| 100
|-
| Registered voters/turnout
| 322,232
| 39.77
|-
| colspan="3" |Source: Halifax Regional Municipality
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|2016 Halifax mayoral election
|-
! style="background:#ddf; width:200px;"| Candidate
! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;"| Votes
! style="background:#ddf; width:30px;"| %
|-
| Mike Savage || 62,096 || 68.38
|-
| Lil Macpherson || 28,719 || 31.62
|-
| Total
| 90,815
| 100.00
|-
| colspan="3" |Source: Halifax Regional Municipality
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|2012 Halifax mayoral election
|-
! style="background:#ddf; width:200px;"| Candidate
! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;"| Votes
! style="background:#ddf; width:30px;"| %
|-
| Mike Savage || 63,547 || 57.75
|-
| Tom Martin || 21,912 || 19.91
|-
| Fred Connors || 20,277 || 18.43
|-
| Other candidates || 4304 || 3.91
|-
|Total
|110,040
|100.00
|-
| colspan="3" |Source: Halifax Regional Municipality
|}
Federal
See also
- List of mayors of the Halifax Regional Municipality
- List of lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
Further reading
Articles
Audio and video
External links
- Past election results via Elections Canada