Halifax West

Halifax West encompasses the western suburbs of Halifax Regional Municipality, including the communities of Bedford, Clayton Park, Fairview, Rockingham, Kearney Lake, Upper Hammonds Plains, Tantallon, and Terence Bay. The riding covers approximately 227 square kilometres and had a population of approximately 112,000 in the 2021 census, making it one of the most populous ridings in Nova Scotia.

Candidates

Lena Metlege Diab (Liberal) won the seat in 2021, becoming the first female MP to represent Halifax West. Born in Halifax in 1965, she is the daughter of first-generation Lebanese immigrants and moved to Lebanon at age two before returning to Halifax at age 11 to escape the Lebanese Civil War. Diab graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a BA in economics and political science, then earned a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University. She practised law in Halifax for more than 20 years, becoming a partner at Noseworthy Di Costanzo Diab Law, and was awarded the Queen’s Counsel designation. She served as a provincial MLA for Halifax Armdale from 2013, holding cabinet portfolios including immigration, justice, and attorney general—the first woman and first Lebanese Canadian to hold the attorney general position in Nova Scotia.

Jonathan Keith Roberts (NDP) ran as the NDP candidate in the riding.

Eleanor Humphries (Conservative) represented the Conservative Party.

Julie Scott (PPC) ran for the People’s Party of Canada.

Richard Zurawski (Green Party) was the Green Party candidate, a meteorologist and science communicator known in the Halifax area.

Kevin Schulthies (Christian Heritage Party) represented the Christian Heritage Party.

About the Riding

Halifax West is the fastest-growing riding in Nova Scotia, driven by suburban expansion in communities like Bedford and Clayton Park. Bedford, once a separate town before amalgamation into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996, is a major residential and commercial centre with a population that has surged in recent years. Clayton Park is one of the densest urban communities in Halifax, growing by over 10 percent between 2016 and 2021 from 4,726 to 5,201 residents. Bayers Lake Business Park, one of the largest retail and commercial zones in Atlantic Canada, sits within the riding.

The riding’s economy is largely service-sector driven, with retail, healthcare, education, and professional services as the main employers. Mount Saint Vincent University, located in the Rockingham area, is a significant institution. The Bedford Institute of Oceanography, a major federal research facility, sits on the shores of Bedford Basin. The riding is connected to downtown Halifax by the Bedford Highway and the Bicentennial Highway (Highway 102).

Housing affordability and urban sprawl were central issues in 2021, as the rapid population growth strained infrastructure and drove up home prices. Traffic congestion along the Bedford Highway corridor was a longstanding complaint. Residents also raised concerns about healthcare access, environmental protection of wilderness areas in the Hammonds Plains and Tantallon corridors, and the need for improved public transit to connect suburban communities to the urban core. The riding is ethnically diverse, reflecting Halifax’s growing immigrant population, with significant Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African communities.