Michael John Savage was installed as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia on December 13, 2024, commencing his role as His Majesty King Charles III’s representative in the Province.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, His Honour spent his early childhood in South Wales before immigrating to Canada at the age of six. Raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, he graduated from Prince Andrew High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Dalhousie University.

His Honour’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to public service, economic development, community engagement, and volunteerism. As a member of the business community, he devoted significant time to provincial and national organizations, serving as President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia and a member of the board of directors for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. His contributions extended to organizations supporting health, literacy, humanitarian aid, and the arts, including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the Dartmouth Book and Writing Awards, Literacy Nova Scotia, the Red Cross, United Way, and Neptune Theatre.

From 2004 to 2011, His Honour represented Dartmouth-Cole Harbour as a Member of Parliament, where he championed economic development and inclusion, advancing disability rights and same sex-marriage. He was an active member of parliamentary committees, groups, and associations, including service as the Chief Opposition Critic and Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

Elected as Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality in 2012, His Honour served three consecutive terms, prioritizing economic growth, social and economic inclusion, and sustainable climate action. As a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Big City Mayors’ Caucus, he served as co-chair FCM’s Syrian Refugee Response Task Force in 2015. That same year, he became President of the World Energy Cities Partnership, an international organization connecting cities with significant energy sector interests. In 2021, he was elected by his colleagues as Chair of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus. 

In March 2016, His Honour was recognized as a Modern Maker of Canada by the Institute on Governance, an honour acknowledging civic leaders’ contributions to driving economic prosperity. In 2018, he joined the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative — a program of the Bloomberg Centre for Cities at Harvard University — working with thirty-nine mayors and senior city officials to explore research and tools designed to enhance government performance and improve quality of life for all residents.

He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022), and King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024). As Lieutenant Governor, His Honour is the Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia and the Vice-Prior and Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John.

His Honour and his wife, Darlene, reside in Nova Scotia and have two adult children, Emma and Conor.