John Hamm

Hamm, a graduate of Dalhousie University, was a family doctor in his hometown of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, and the president of the Nova Scotia Medical Society. He entered politics in 1993, becoming the Member of the Legislative Assembly[?] for the riding of Pictou Centre[?].

Hamm became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia in 1995. His party won 14 seats in the 1998 provincial election and held the balance of power in a minority government where both the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party had nineteen seats. His party defeated the government on a budget vote in May 1999.

In the subsequent election on July 27, 1999, Hamm became the new premier, winning 29 of the 52 seats in the provincial legislature.

Since taking office, Hamm has been selling or closing many government-owned industries such as Sydney Steel[?]. On the other hand, he has invested more in education and health care.

In 2001 Hamm was at odds with the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union[?], trying to legislate nurses back to work after a long and bitter strike.