Central Nova

Central Nova stretches across northeastern Nova Scotia, centred on Pictou County and extending into parts of Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. The riding's population is concentrated in the Pictou County towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville, Trenton, and Pictou along the Northumberland Strait shore, with the university town of Antigonish anchoring the eastern portion.

Candidates

Sean Fraser (Liberal) — The incumbent, Fraser had won the seat in 2015, becoming the first non-Conservative to hold it in decades after Peter MacKay's departure. Raised in Merigomish, Pictou County, he earned a science degree from St. Francis Xavier University, a law degree from Dalhousie University, and a master's in public international law from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Before entering politics, he practised commercial litigation and worked as a human rights lawyer in Johannesburg, South Africa. In Parliament, he served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2018 to 2019.

George Canyon (Conservative) — A Juno Award-winning country music artist known nationally through his recordings and regular appearances singing the national anthem at Calgary Flames games, Canyon was named as the Conservative candidate after the previous nominee, Roger MacKay, withdrew from the race citing personal reasons. His candidacy drew attention as a celebrity parachute nomination arranged by the national party.

Betsy MacDonald (NDP) — A community organizer and musician from Antigonish, MacDonald held a degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a master's from Brock University. She had spent fifteen years working on projects aimed at community development, youth leadership, and social enterprise. She also served as a communications and outreach officer for the Nova Scotia NDP caucus. This was her first federal campaign in the riding.

Barry Randle (Green Party) — An activist and co-owner of the Stone Soup Cafe in Pictou, Randle had been involved with the Green Party for more than a decade. He sat on the board of the downtown business association and taught adult education classes at NSCC in Stellarton.

Al Muir ran for the People's Party, Chris Frazer represented the Communist Party, and Michael Slowik ran as an independent.

About the Riding

Central Nova's economic identity has been shaped by manufacturing, resource extraction, and public-sector employment. Stellarton is the headquarters of Sobeys, one of Canada's largest grocery chains, and a Michelin tire plant in Granton has been a major employer for decades. However, the riding has weathered significant industrial losses, including the closures of Maritime Steel, Trenton Works, and Scotsburn Dairy.

The Northern Pulp mill on Abercrombie Point dominated the 2019 campaign. The mill employed roughly 300 workers directly, but the provincial government had passed the Boat Harbour Act in 2015, requiring the mill to stop discharging wastewater through Boat Harbour — a system that had contaminated lands near the Pictou Landing First Nation for decades. With the deadline approaching, the mill proposed pumping treated effluent through a new pipe into the Northumberland Strait, pitting forestry jobs against the concerns of fishers and the First Nation. All candidates were forced to navigate the tensions between the riding's forestry workers and its fishing communities.

St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, with an enrolment of roughly 5,000 students, is a significant employer and economic driver in the eastern part of the riding. Health care access, particularly physician shortages and emergency-room pressures, was another top voter concern during the campaign.