Nova Scotians have painted the province orange and made a clear statement about who they want guiding them through a recession: Darrell Dexter, the 51-year-old lawyer and leader of the provincial NDP.

The three-term Tories are now singing the blues — they’ve tumbled from top spot to third place, behind the Liberals. This is the first-ever NDP government for Atlantic Canada.

The business community doesn’t know what to expect, but clearly there is nervousness. Within 48 hours of the election last month — which saw the NDP capture 31 of 52 seats in the provincial legislature; the Liberals, 11; and the Tories, 10 — one leading businessman said that he may move his company out of the province altogether.

Richard Homburg, head of international property investment and development company Homburg Canada Inc. in Halifax, has announced that his organization may be pulling up stakes and heading to Montreal as a result of the NDP triumph.

But the anti-NDP campaign started even before the election was over: Rodney MacDonald’s Tories had let loose with an ad campaign designed to unsettle voters who traditionally leaned more to the right than the left.

But Dexter’s middle-of-the-road platform was designed to appease nervousness about a party that has placed social values above the bottom line, and labour above management. That campaign had seven primary thrusts, most of which were, frankly, innocuous. Take, for example, a list of pledges aimed at everyday issues, including “take the HST off home energy to make life more affordable” and “give seniors the option to stay in their homes and communities longer.”

These vote-for-us pledges were tempered by reality. Dexter has steadfastly declared that his government will bring down a balanced budget. Within 24 hours of being declared premier-designate, Dexter held a news conference to announce he would be meeting with federal Finance Department officials to begin the process of reviewing the province’s finances.

Many suspect the audit will paint a bleaker picture than the NDP’s election promises, one that may require more invasive measures than the new government has committed to so far. In fact, there was one noticeable absence from the NDP platform — any mention of taxes (although one of seven tag lines in the platform was “live within our means”).

In the newness of having an NDP government, it is easy for edgy business leaders to overlook the fact that the most seasoned leader in the province is actually the province’s new premier. The outgoing Tory premier, MacDonald, survived only two abbreviated appearances at the helm. Stephen McNeil, Liberal party leader, is a relative unknown.

Dexter’s longevity — he has been NDP leader since 2001 — and his unflappable style may be just what Nova Scotians want when all around them is uncertainty. In the wake of Homburg’s declaration, for instance, Dexter simply said he was surprised, especially as they had recently spoken.

Dexter has also made it clear that there will be no grounds for comparing his government to that of Bob Rae’s brief, and disastrous, tenure in Ontario in the 1990s. Deficits are not part of the agenda, Dexter said during his first news conference after winning.

Just how warm the embrace (or cold the shoulder) Nova Scotia’s business sector can expect remains to be seen, but the welcome mat appears to be out. At least, for now. IE