Central Nova

The riding of Central Nova covers much of northern mainland Nova Scotia, anchored by Pictou County and extending into parts of Antigonish and Guysborough counties as well as a portion of the Halifax Regional Municipality. The main population centres are the Pictou County towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville, Trenton, and Pictou, along with the university town of Antigonish. The riding spans the Northumberland Strait coastline to the north and reaches into the rural interior.

Candidates

Peter G. MacKay (Conservative) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 1997 in the former riding of Pictou--Antigonish--Guysborough, and entering the 2011 campaign as one of the most prominent members of the Harper cabinet. A graduate of Acadia University and the Dalhousie University law school, MacKay practised criminal and family law in New Glasgow and served as a Crown Attorney in Nova Scotia before entering politics. He was the final leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party and negotiated the 2003 merger with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2007 and was serving as Minister of National Defence heading into the 2011 election.

David K. Parker (NDP) — Parker ran as the NDP candidate in Central Nova, finishing as the second-place challenger in what was one of the safest Conservative seats in Atlantic Canada.

John R. Hamilton (Liberal) — Hamilton carried the Liberal banner in Central Nova, a riding where the party had struggled to compete since MacKay's initial election in 1997. In the 2008 election, the Liberals had notably not run a candidate in the riding as part of a strategic arrangement with the Green Party.

Matthew Chisholm (Green Party) — A graduate of Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, where he studied political science and community development, Chisholm was in his early twenties at the time of the 2011 campaign. He had worked in sustainable development in South Africa before returning to Nova Scotia and seeking to bring environmental issues to the fore in the riding.

About the Riding

Central Nova's economy is built on a mix of manufacturing, resource industries, and institutional employment. Michelin operates a tire manufacturing plant in Granton, Pictou County, employing hundreds of workers and forming one of the region's largest private-sector employers. The Northern Pulp mill near Pictou was another major industrial employer, producing kraft pulp for export. The TrentonWorks facility, which had manufactured railcars and steel products since the 1870s, was being converted in 2010-2011 into a wind turbine tower manufacturing operation through a partnership involving Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering and government investment.

Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish is a significant employer and economic driver, drawing students from across Canada and internationally. Scotsburn Dairy, headquartered in the Pictou County community of the same name, is another notable local enterprise. Agriculture, including dairy farming and mixed agriculture, remains important in the rural areas, and the Northumberland Strait fishery sustains coastal communities.

The riding had deep Progressive Conservative roots dating back generations, and MacKay's family connection to the region — his father Elmer MacKay had represented the area before him — reinforced a strong personal vote. Central Nova was widely considered the safest Conservative seat in Atlantic Canada heading into 2011.