2021 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election

2021 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election
← 2007 February 6, 2021 2022 →
Turnout8,132 Delegates
 
Candidate Iain Rankin Labi Kousoulis Randy Delorey
Riding Timberlea-Prospect Halifax Citadel-Sable Island Antigonish
First ballot 2,206.00
40.11% 		2,023.69
36.79% 		1,270.31
23.10%
Second ballot 2,882.31
52.41% 		2,617.69
47.59% 		Eliminated
Leader before election

Stephen McNeil

 Elected Leader

Iain Rankin

2021 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election
DateFebruary 6, 2021
ConventionVirtual
Resigning leaderStephen McNeil
Won byIain Rankin
Ballots2
Candidates3
Entrance Fee$60,000
Spending limit$350,000[1]
Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership elections
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The 2021 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election took place on February 6[2][3] to elect a leader to replace Premier Stephen McNeil, who on August 6, 2020, announced his pending resignation[4] after leading the party since 2007 and returning the party to government in 2013 after being out of power for fourteen years.

Background

Stephen McNeil announced on August 6, 2020, pending resignation as party leader and premier, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nova Scotia. McNeil remained as Premier and leader until the new leader was chosen.[4]

Timeline

2020

  • August 6 – Stephen McNeil announces his pending resignation as Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.[4]
  • August 22 – The party unveils the base set of rules for the election.[2][3]
  • September 14 – The official rules for the leadership election will be released.[2][3]
  • September 30 – Labi Kousoulis declares his candidacy.[1]
  • October 5 – Iain Rankin declares his candidacy.[5][6]
  • October 8 – Randy Delorey declares his candidacy.[7]
  • October 9 – Last day to register as a candidate.[2][3]

2021

  • January 7 – Last day to become an eligible party member.[2][3]

Candidates

Declared

Randy Delorey

Randy Delorey

Randy Delorey was the MLA for Antigonish, having served since 2013. Prior to announcing his candidacy, Delorey had been serving as Minister of Gaelic Affairs since 2013 and the Minister of Health and Wellness since 2017. Previously, he has served as the Minister of the Environment (2013–2015; 2015–2016) and as Minister of Finance and Treasury Board (2015–2017).

Candidacy announced: October 9, 2020[7]
Date registered with Elections Nova Scotia:
Campaign website: www.votedelorey.com
Policies
Endorsements of Randy Delorey (31)
MLAs: (7)
Federal politicians: (2)
Municipal politicians:
Former MLAs:
Former federal politicians: (1)
Former municipal politicians: (2)
Riding Association Executives: (13)
Other prominent individuals: (7)
Organizations:
Media:
Total endorsements: 31

Labi Kousoulis

Labi Kousoulis

Labi Kousoulis was the MLA for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island, having served since 2013. Additionally, he was the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education since 2017, having resigned to run in the leadership race.[22] He previously served as the Minister of the Public Service Commission (2013–2017) and Minister of Internal Services (2014–2017).[23][24]

Candidacy announced: September 30, 2020[1]
Date registered with Elections Nova Scotia:
Campaign website: votelabi.ca
Policies
Endorsements of Labi Kousoulis (13)
MLAs: (3)
Federal politicians:
Municipal politicians:
Former MLAs: (1)
Former federal politicians: (3)
Former municipal politicians:
Riding Association Executives: (1)
Other prominent individuals: (3)
Organizations:
Media:
Total endorsements: 13

Iain Rankin

Iain Rankin

Iain Rankin was the MLA for Timberlea-Prospect, having served since 2013. Rankin served in cabinet as the Minister of Lands and Forestry since 2018, having resigned prior to announcing his candidacy. In addition, he previously served as Minister of Environment from 2017 to 2018 and was head of the Nova Scotia francophone parliamentarian association from 2014 to 2017.

Candidacy announced: October 5, 2020[6]
Date registered with Elections Nova Scotia:
Campaign website: voterankin.ca
Policies
Endorsements of Iain Rankin (22)
MLAs: (6)
Federal politicians: (1)
Municipal politicians: (2)
Former MLAs: (3)
Former federal politicians: (1)
Former municipal politicians:
Riding Association Executives: (7)
Other prominent individuals: (2)
Organizations:
Media:
Total endorsements: 22

Declined

Debates

Debates among candidates for the 2021 Liberal Party of Nova Scotia leadership election
No. Date Time Place Participants
 P  Participant
 N  Non-invitee  A  Absent invitee  O  Out of race (exploring or withdrawn) 		Iain Rankin Labi Kousoulis Randy Delorey
Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election debates
1 December 7, 2020 7 p.m. AST Virtual P P P
2 December 17, 2020 7 p.m. AST Virtual P P P
3 January 6, 2021 7 p.m. AST Virtual P P P

Results

  = Eliminated from next round
  = Winner
Candidate Ballot 1 Ballot 2
Name Votes Points Votes Points
Iain Rankin 3,075
39.02%		 2,206.00
40.11%		 3,988
52.31%		 2,882.31
52.41%
Labi Kousoulis 2,904
35.71%		 2,023.69
36.79%		 3,636
47.69%		 2,617.69
47.59%
Randy Delorey 1,895
24.05%		 1,270.31
23.10%		 Eliminated
TOTAL 7,881 5,500 7,624 5,500
Ballot 1 Ballot 2
Riding Iain Rankin Labi Kousoulis Randy Delorey Total Iain Rankin Labi Kousoulis Total
Votes Points Votes Points Votes Points Votes Votes Points Votes Points Votes
Annapolis 52 44.44 34 29.06 31 26.50 117 63 54.31 53 45.69 116
Antigonish 121 36.45 35 10.54 176 53.01 332 214 70.86 88 29.14 302
Argyle 29 32.22 24 26.67 37 41.11 90 40 47.06 45 52.94 85
Bedford Basin 73 27.55 100 37.74 92 34.72 265 129 50.99 124 49.01 253
Bedford South 69 23.55 108 36.86 116 39.59 293 115 44.92 141 55.08 256
Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier 48 53.93 30 33.71 11 12.36 89 55 62.50 33 37.50 88
Cape Breton East 59 52.21 32 28.32 22 19.47 113 74 66.07 38 33.93 112
Chester-St. Margaret's 77 45.56 54 31.95 38 22.49 169 97 57.40 72 42.60 169
Clare 29 45.31 26 40.63 9 14.06 64 34 54.84 28 45.16 62
Clayton Park West 97 24.74 157 40.05 138 35.20 392 166 43.68 214 56.32 380
Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley 33 39.29 39 46.43 12 14.29 84 35 42.17 48 57.83 83
Colchester North 40 40.82 30 30.61 28 28.57 98 54 56.84 41 43.16 95
Cole Harbour 16 27.59 25 43.10 17 29.31 58 23 41.82 32 58.18 55
Cole Harbour-Dartmouth 42 23.33 85 47.22 53 29.44 180 73 41.95 101 58.05 174
Cumberland North 36 51.43 22 31.43 12 17.14 70 43 61.43 27 38.57 70
Cumberland South 20 30.77 40 61.54 5 7.69 65 24 36.92 41 63.08 65
Dartmouth East 44 27.16 67 41.36 51 31.48 162 70 44.59 87 55.41 157
Dartmouth North 34 29.31 61 52.59 21 18.10 116 43 38.05 70 61.95 113
Dartmouth South 74 47.74 55 35.48 26 16.77 155 86 55.84 68 44.16 154
Digby-Annapolis 13 18.31 31 43.66 27 38.03 71 34 51.52 32 48.48 66
Eastern Passage 16 16.49 27 27.84 54 55.67 97 32 34.04 62 65.96 94
Eastern Shore 53 55.21 28 29.17 15 15.63 96 58 61.05 37 38.95 95
Fairview-Clayton Park 47 18.50 158 62.20 49 19.29 254 70 28.23 178 71.77 248
Glace Bay-Dominion 27 27.27 31 31.31 41 41.41 99 42 47.73 46 52.27 88
Guysborough-Tracadie 24 38.10 26 41.27 13 20.63 63 29 47.54 32 52.46 61
Halifax Armdale 74 27.92 136 51.32 55 20.75 265 93 36.47 162 63.53 255
Halifax Atlantic 74 48.05 55 35.71 25 16.23 154 86 56.95 65 43.05 151
Halifax Chebucto 75 30.12 134 53.82 40 16.06 249 96 39.51 147 60.49 243
Halifax Citadel-Sable Island 102 27.57 193 52.16 75 20.27 370 137 38.27 221 61.73 358
Halifax Needham 101 41.22 112 45.71 32 13.06 245 119 48.97 124 51.03 243
Hammonds Plains-Lucasville 77 48.73 34 21.52 47 29.75 158 106 68.83 48 31.17 154
Hants East 102 56.35 24 13.26 55 30.39 181 125 71.43 50 28.57 175
Hants West 59 58.42 23 22.77 19 18.81 101 68 68.69 31 31.31 99
Inverness 95 62.50 19 12.50 38 25.00 152 121 81.21 28 18.79 149
Kings North 72 61.02 35 29.66 11 9.32 118 80 68.38 37 31.62 117
Kings South 104 76.47 19 13.97 13 9.56 136 110 82.71 23 17.29 133
Kings West 39 42.86 28 30.77 24 26.37 91 48 55.17 39 44.83 87
Lunenburg 31 29.81 24 23.08 49 47.12 104 51 52.58 46 47.42 97
Lunenburg West 44 51.16 29 33.72 13 15.12 86 47 54.65 39 43.35 86
Northside-Westmount 45 49.45 38 41.76 8 8.79 91 49 54.44 41 45.56 90
Pictou Centre 28 20.44 83 60.58 26 18.98 137 45 33.58 89 66.42 134
Pictou East 28 31.11 48 53.33 14 15.56 90 34 38.64 54 61.36 88
Pictou West 38 43.18 31 35.23 19 21.59 88 46 53.49 40 46.51 86
Preston 25 31.25 43 53.75 12 15.00 80 28 36.36 49 63.64 77
Queens 22 45.83 17 35.42 9 18.75 48 26 54.17 22 45.83 48
Richmond 35 30.70 47 41.23 32 28.07 114 49 43.36 64 56.64 113
Sackville-Cobequid 30 31.58 47 49.47 18 18.95 95 40 43.01 53 56.99 93
Sackville-Uniacke 15 20.55 43 58.90 15 20.55 73 21 30.88 47 69.12 68
Shelburne 28 58.33 9 18.75 11 22.92 48 32 66.67 16 33.33 48
Sydney-Membertou 91 41.94 112 51.61 14 6.45 217 97 45.33 117 54.67 214
Timberlea-Prospect 239 76.60 50 16.03 23 7.37 312 249 81.11 58 18.89 307
Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River 46 34.07 62 45.93 27 20.00 135 57 43.51 74 56.49 131
Victoria-The Lakes 39 47.56 27 32.93 16 19.5 82 49 61.25 31 38.75 80
Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank 38 35.51 39 36.45 30 28.04 107 53 50.48 52 49.52 105
Yarmouth 106 68.39 18 11.61 31 20.00 155 123 79.87 31 20.13 154

References

  1. ^ a b c "Halifax MLA Labi Kousoulis 1st to join the race to replace Stephen McNeil as premier". September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Nova Scotia Liberal Party unveils plan for upcoming leadership race". August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Nova Scotia Liberals to usher in new premier in February". August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Jerrett, Andrea; Pace, Natasha (August 6, 2020). "Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil to step down, leave public office". CTV News Atlantic. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "Iain Rankin enters Liberal leadership race". October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "2nd Liberal to enter N.S. leadership race wants more action on climate change". October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Randy Delorey enters N.S. Liberal leadership race". October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Randy Delorey (December 17, 2020). "It means so much to have the confidence of my colleague, Rafah DiCostanzo. Thank you, Rafah". Twitter. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 11, 2020). "Grateful for the support of Phil Mooney, the former Mayor of Yarmouth. Thanks, Phil! https://t.co/0lJ7zpn8Y2" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 13, 2020). "Grateful to have your support in this leadership race, Kim. https://t.co/1wxvVwgsVZ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 4, 2020). "Thankful to have the support of Claude Poirier, the president of the Inverness Liberal Association, in my campaign to be the next leader of our party and Premier of Nova Scotia. https://t.co/U0UF46jh8C" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 12, 2020). "I'm thankful to have the support of Tania Meloni, President of the Clayton Park West Liberal Association. https://t.co/03rCd4gGxw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 8, 2020). "Thankful to have the support of Burnell Lyons, an engaged Liberal member and experienced grassroots organizer, as I work to be the next leader of our party and Premier of Nova Scotia. https://t.co/O0ZQMz4WXw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 7, 2020). "Grateful to have the support of Shawn Nicholson — an experienced grassroots organizer, engaged party member, and President of the Halifax Needham Liberal Association. Your confidence in my leadership as I work to become Nova Scotia's next Premier means so much. https://t.co/TYqOam1A0r" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 2, 2020). "Proud to have the endorsement of Paul d'Eon, President of the Hammonds Plains-Lucasville Liberal EDA. Paul's hard work, and that of EDA presidents across our province, is key to winning the next election. Thank you, Paul! https://t.co/3BwhZINzOS" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 14, 2020). "Throughout this campaign, I have met so many young Nova Scotians with great ideas for our province — people like Nick d'Entremont. It means a lot to have his support. https://t.co/WAtX3vcZrC" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 17, 2020). "I'm thankful to have the support of Dr. Paul Doucette, an Emergency Room Physician and President of the Bedford Basin Liberal Association. https://t.co/VfUGpCI408" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 3, 2020). "Grateful to have the endorsement of my friend Janet Becigneul, Secretary of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. https://t.co/oA4hP8tNTV" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Max Taylor (December 3, 2020). "Nova Scotia's next Premier will be chosen soon. I've chosen to support Randy Delorey for the position". Twitter. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  20. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 10, 2020). "Marc Botte is a small business owner and former Liberal candidate for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg. Thank you for your support, Marc! It's great to have you on board. https://t.co/5oBKIqgpLh" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Delorey, Randy [@RandyDelorey] (December 18, 2020). "I'm happy to have the support of Allan Kennedy, our 2020 by-election candidate in Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River. Thanks, Allan! https://t.co/xMT9zu9MVb" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
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