Nova Scotia political parties seek Black candidates for upcoming Preston byelection

The leaders of the three main political parties in Nova Scotia say they will follow open nomination processes in the search for candidates for the upcoming Preston byelection, but they're committed to trying to field Black candidates.

Preston MLA Angela Simmonds announced last month that she would step down from her post on April 1. The first-term politician was elected in the 2021 provincial election in a race that featured the first all-Black slate of candidates in Nova Scotia's history.

Simmonds's win also meant the protected district, which includes the historic Black communities of Cherry Brook, East Preston and North Preston, had its first Black MLA since 1999.

The Tories won the seat in 1999 with David Hendsbee and Liberal Keith Colwell took the seat in 2003. Both men are white.

'That's the purpose of the riding'

Wayne Adams was the first MLA for the district after it was created in 1993 with the intent of providing representation for a part of the province with a mostly Black population. Adams's win for the Liberals made him the first Black person elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature. He would go on to be the first Black cabinet minister in Nova Scotia.

In a recent interview, Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said his party is hoping to continue its long history of representing the district. Although the Liberals won't block anyone from running, Churchill said "the focus of our outreach and recruitment is in the African Nova Scotian community."

"That's the purpose of the riding, is to have representation there," he said.

Churchill said the people who have expressed interest in running for the Liberals so far are all African Nova Scotian.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said her party is also focused on recruiting Black candidates for the nomination.

"We have lots of good connections and relationships in the Preston riding and the conversations we are having now are all with folks from African Nova Scotian communities in that riding who feel that they would best be able to represent the needs of those communities," she said in an interview.

Chender said it's "crucial" that parties put an emphasis on finding candidates in protected districts who reflect the communities in those districts, a sentiment she said members of her party are hearing from people in Preston as they discuss the pending byelection.

Some Tories, constituents approached Hendsbee

Premier Tim Houston said it is his "personal hope that the next MLA for Preston is somebody from the community, who represents the community."

"A Black candidate would be fantastic," he said in an interview.

Allnovascotia.com reported last week that members of the Tories approached Hendsbee, who is a councillor for Halifax Regional Municipality, about taking a shot again at provincial politics.

In an interview with CBC News on Tuesday, Hendsbee would not say who in the party approached him, but said he's also heard from constituents about running. Although he's made clear his intention is to remain in the municipal ranks of politics, Hendsbee said he is working with the Tories to help the party find a candidate.

Potential cabinet minister

A Tory win in the byelection could mean a seat at the cabinet table for the next Preston MLA, Hendsbee noted. Houston's government stirred controversy when it appointed Pat Dunn, a white man, as the cabinet minister responsible for the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs.

At the time, Houston said his cabinet would be comprised of people from his caucus. The Tory caucus is the only one in the legislature without a Black MLA.

Houston said he doesn't know who reached out to Hendsbee, but he'd like to see the party field a Black candidate.

"When you have people who are around politics, people who are members of parties, they really like elections and there's a lot of talk about elections — who will run and who should run. There will be lots of that and that's a good part of the process."

Yvonne Atwell, who won Preston in 1998 for the NDP and was the first Black woman elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature, said she was heartened to see the full slate of Black candidates in 2021. She noted each of the candidates had ties to historic Black communities in the district.

Now that Preston is represented again by a Black MLA, Atwell said it's important to try to keep it that way.

"It's really important that we continue — because of the future of the Prestons — that we continue to see our faces public and centred in the political arena," she said in an interview.

Black people have not always benefited from the same financial and volunteer support in politics as white candidates, said Atwell. But it is important for the momentum of the 2021 election to continue.

"People are moving into our communities who left maybe years ago. We have a lot of young people that are smart —  they're bright — they're looking for the future to hold on to their communities and how to work within those communities. So it's important that we step up."

Houston must call the byelection within six months of Simmonds stepping down. Although he's not thought about a date yet, the premier said it is important that people in the district do not have to wait too long.

"We don't like vacated seats. We like people having representation. Hopefully, we're in a position where we can call it pretty quick and not leave people without representation."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.