Halifax West

Halifax West covers the western suburbs and exurban communities within Halifax Regional Municipality. Following the 2022 redistribution, the riding shifted southward, moving away from some of the most densely populated suburban areas and absorbing more rural territory along the Atlantic coast from the former South Shore—St. Margarets riding. The riding now includes communities such as Clayton Park, Fairview, Rockingham, parts of the Mainland North, Tantallon, Upper Hammonds Plains, Timberlea, and extends south toward Terence Bay.

Halifax West grew by nearly 25,000 people in the decade preceding redistribution, making it one of the fastest-growing ridings in the province and necessitating the boundary changes that reshaped it for the 2025 election.

Candidates

Lena Metlege Diab (Liberal) is a lawyer and former Nova Scotia provincial cabinet minister who served as the province's first female Attorney General from 2013 to 2017. The daughter of first-generation immigrants, she holds a law degree and a Master of Public Administration from Dalhousie University. First elected federally in Halifax West in 2021, Diab was appointed Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in 2025.

Rob Batherson (Conservative) is a public affairs executive and the former national president of the Conservative Party of Canada. Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and raised in Lower Sackville, he has worked as a political staffer on Parliament Hill and in communications for the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives. He has chaired the boards of Neptune Theatre and the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

Rae Tench (NDP) is a Certified Financial Planner with over 40 years in the financial services industry. His family immigrated to Canada from Belize in 1967, settling in Halifax's North End before moving to Clayton Park. He is a regular guest on local radio providing financial advice.

Ron G. Parker (Green Party) ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

Adam LeRue (People's Party) ran as the PPC candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Halifax West's character has been defined by rapid suburban expansion. Communities like Clayton Park and the Hammonds Plains corridor have seen extensive residential development, creating pressure on transportation infrastructure, schools, and municipal services. The Highway 102 and Highway 103 corridors that serve these communities are among the most congested routes in the Halifax region, making commuting a daily concern for many residents.

Housing affordability is a particularly acute issue in the riding, as the communities that once offered more affordable alternatives to the Halifax Peninsula have seen prices rise dramatically. New subdivision development continues in areas like Hammonds Plains and Tantallon, but infrastructure—water, sewer, and roads—has not always kept pace with growth.

The riding's diverse population includes established suburban families, newer immigrant communities, and rural residents in the southern coastal areas added through redistribution. Healthcare access, with family doctor shortages and clinic wait times, was a common concern across the riding. Federal immigration policy resonated locally given the high proportion of newcomers settling in the Halifax suburbs, making it a tangible local issue beyond the usual national debate.