Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley is a largely rural federal riding in northern Nova Scotia encompassing Cumberland and Colchester counties along with the Musquodoboit Valley portion of the Halifax Regional Municipality. The by-election was called after Bill Casey, who had been sitting as an Independent MP since being expelled from the Conservative caucus in 2007 for voting against the federal budget, resigned his seat on April 30, 2009, to accept a position as Nova Scotia's Senior Intergovernmental Affairs Representative in Ottawa.

Candidates

Scott Armstrong (Conservative) — Armstrong held a PhD from the University of Southern Mississippi and master's degrees from Florida State University and Acadia University. He had served as president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia under Premier Rodney MacDonald and was active in community organizations including the Children's Aid Society Board and the Hospital Foundation Board.

Mark Austin (NDP) — Austin was a community organizer and long-time volunteer firefighter with over thirty years of involvement in arts, anti-poverty, agriculture, and environmental organizations across Nova Scotia. He served as an executive board member of USC Canada (Seeds of Survival).

Jim Burrows (Liberal) — Burrows was selected as the Liberal candidate in September 2009, having defeated the party's 2008 general election candidate in a nomination contest.

Jason Blanch (Green Party) — Blanch carried the Green Party banner in the by-election.

Jim Hnatiuk ran for the Christian Heritage Party and Kate Graves ran as an Independent.

About the Riding

The riding stretches across the northern coast of Nova Scotia along the Northumberland Strait, bordering New Brunswick to the northwest. Major communities include the towns of Truro, Amherst, Parrsboro, Springhill, Oxford, and Stewiacke, along with the villages of Bible Hill, Pugwash, and Tatamagouche. The Musquodoboit Valley portion extends into the northeastern part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, centred on Middle Musquodoboit and Upper Musquodoboit.

The economy is primarily based on agriculture and forestry, with some manufacturing in the larger towns. Truro, the largest community, serves as a regional service centre for Colchester County with a population of approximately 12,000. Amherst, near the New Brunswick border, is the commercial hub of Cumberland County. The riding's character is distinctly rural, with dispersed farming communities connected by secondary highways.

The riding was created in 2004 from the former Cumberland—Colchester riding combined with the rural Musquodoboit Valley area. Bill Casey had first been elected to represent the region federally in 1988 as a Progressive Conservative, lost his seat in 1993, and returned to Parliament in 1997, serving as a Conservative before his expulsion from caucus in 2007.