Jeremy Bernard Akerman (born May 28, 1942) is a former Canadian politician, writer and actor and a former leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
In 1964 Akerman was invited by the Canadian government to take the position of head of Archaeological Illustration at the Fortress of Louisbourg Restoration Project in Nova Scotia.
Later that year he became a reporter, news reader and talk show host at CHER Radio in Sydney but was fired for attempting to unionize the staff.
In 1980 he resigned both his seat and the party leadership to become head of Intergovernmental Affairs for Nova Scotia in the government of premier John M. Buchanan.
Akerman is also a portrait and landscape painter, specializing in Welsh and Nova Scotia scenes, having exhibited in Halifax, Cape Breton, and Lunenburg.
In the provincial election of May 30, 1967, Akerman ran for the first time as an NDP candidate, in the constituency of Cape Breton West, and won 13 per cent of the vote.
And in the following provincial election, held September 19, 1978, these three were re-elected, and Len Arsenault won in the constituency of Cape Breton North, thus bringing the NDP presence in the Nova Scotia Legislature up to four seats.
Akerman also faced strains on his health and personal life, due to the stress of the workload he carried; he missed the 1977 session of the House because of an illness and his marriage ended in divorce.
During his time as NDP leader in Nova Scotia, Akerman earned a high level of respect from all political parties and was considered one of the ablest debaters in the House.