Smith was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia in 1935,[2] and grew up in Port Mouton.[3] Smith graduated with a medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1964.[4] He practiced family medicine in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for almost 30 years.[3][5] Smith first attempted to enter provincial politics in the 1981 election, but was defeated by Progressive Conservative incumbent Richard L. Weldon.[6] Smith ran again in the 1984 election, defeating Weldon by 903 votes to win the Dartmouth East riding.[7] One of only six Liberals elected,[8] Smith spent the early years of his political career in opposition. He was re-elected in the 1988 election, winning the seat by 253 votes.[9] Smith was re-elected in the 1993 election, defeating cabinet minister Gwen Haliburton by almost 2,500 votes.[10][11] Following the election, Smith would get to sit in government for the first time, as the Liberals under John Savage won a majority government.[11]
On June 11, 1993, Smith was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Community Services.[12] On June 27, 1996, Savage shuffled his cabinet, with Smith being named Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.[13] On June 6, 1997, Savage announced that Smith would take over as Minister of Health on June 9, when Bernie Boudreau resigns from cabinet to run for the Liberal leadership.[14] Smith remained as Minister of Health when Russell MacLellan took over as premier on July 18, 1997.[15] Smith was re-elected in the 1998 election,[16][17] and retained the health portfolio, but was also named Minister of Justice.[18] In December 1998, Smith was replaced as Minister of Justice, as MacLellan shuffled his cabinet to reduce the heavy workload of some of the cabinet.[19] Smith was re-elelcted by 265 votes in the 1999 election,[20] but the Liberals were defeated by John Hamm's Progressive Conservatives. Smith served in opposition for one term, announcing on May 2, 2003, that he would not seek re-election in the next election.[21] Smith died on January 18, 2020.[22]
