 The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia has controlled the government for much of the province's history, having been in power from Canadian Confederation in 1867 to 1878, 1882 to 1925, 1933 to 1956, 1970 to 1978 and 1993 to 1999.However, from the 1999 election until the 2009 election it was relegated to third party status behind the Progressive Conservatives and the New Democratic Party.In 2009, under McNeil's leadership, the party returned to official opposition status as the second largest party in the legislature.