Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, since 1929
At these events, the lieutenant governor's presence is marked by the lieutenant governor's standard, consisting, unlike most other viceregal flags in Canada, of the Royal Union Flag defaced with the escutcheon of the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Nova Scotia surrounded by a circle of 18 green maple leaves. This is the last of the Canadian governors' flags to retain the original design set out by Queen Victoria in 1869, though for a period in the 1950s, the lieutenant governor used a flag bearing simply the arms of the province.[8] Within Nova Scotia, the lieutenant governor also follows only the sovereign in the province's order of precedence, preceding even other members of the Canadian Royal Family and the Queen's federal representative.
The aides-de-camp who serve the lieutenant governor wear on their uniforms a badge consisting of the flag of the lieutenant governor in the form of a shield surmounted by a St. Edward's Crown. The Canadian Heraldic Authority designed the badge, with the authorisation on 20 May 2011 of Governor GeneralDavid Johnston, as well as of Queen Elizabeth II for the use of the royal crown.[9]
The office of Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia came into being in 1786, when the government of William Pitt adopted the idea that Nova Scotia, along with New Brunswick, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island, should have as their respective governors a single individual. The earlier post of Governor of Nova Scotia thus came to be occupied by the overreaching authority of the governor-in-chief, who was represented in the colony by a lieutenant. The modern incarnation of the office, however, was established in 1867, upon Nova Scotia's entry into Confederation.[10] Since that date, 30 lieutenant governors have served the province, amongst whom were notable firsts, such as Myra Freeman – the first female lieutenant governor of the province – and Mayann Francis – the first lieutenant governor of Black Nova Scotians ancestry. The shortest mandate by a Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia was Joseph Howe, for three weeks in July 1873, while the longest was Malachy Bowes Daly, from 1890 to 1900.