Lena Metlege Diab (born August 17, 1965) is a

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politician, who was elected to the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

in the 2013 provincial election. A member of the

Nova Scotia Liberal Party The Nova Scotia Liberal Party (officially the Liberal Association of Nova Scotia) is a Centrist politics, centrist provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently hol ...

, she represented the electoral district of Halifax Armdale until 2021. She did not run for another term in the provincial legislature in the

2021 Nova Scotia general election The 2021 Nova Scotia general election was held on August 17, 2021, to elect members to the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. In a major Upset (competition), upset, Tim Houston led the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, Pr ...

, opting instead to run in the

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for the

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, in which she was elected Member of Parliament for

Halifax West Halifax West () is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2021 was 111,944. Demographics ''According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2023 r ...

. She was re-elected in the 2025 federal election, and was appointed

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity) In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church body, church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, ...

Early life and career

Diab was born in Halifax, the daughter of first-generation Lebanese immigrants. She moved to Lebanon at age 2 but then moved back to Halifax at age 11, escaping the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. Diab graduated from Saint Mary's University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science. She worked as a page at the Nova Scotia Legislature during this time. She then attended

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

where she obtained her

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

in 1987 and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1990. Diab practiced law and operated a small business in Halifax. Diab is a noted community leader and volunteer. She is the recipient of the "Outstanding Professional of the Year" award (2010) from the Canadian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She has received the "Mainland North Champion Award" (2010). Diab was a recipient of the

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(2013). She received the "Nova Scotia Provincial Volunteer Award" (2013). She has served many years as the President of the Canadian Lebanon Society of Halifax, and oversaw the celebration of the 75th Anniversary celebrations held throughout Halifax in 2013.

Political career

Diab sought and was elected in the riding of Halifax Armdale in the

2013 Nova Scotia general election The 2013 Nova Scotia general election was held on October 8, 2013, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The result of the election was a Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Liberal victory under the leadership of Stephen McNeil, with th ...

for the

. On October 22, 2013, Diab was appointed to the

Executive Council of Nova Scotia The Executive Council of Nova Scotia (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of Nova Scotia) is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Almost always made up of members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the cabinet is s ...

as Minister of Justice, as well as Attorney General, Minister of Immigration and various other cabinet responsibilities. She was the first female to hold the position of Attorney General in Nova Scotia, as well as the first

Lebanese Canadian Lebanese Canadians are Canadians of Lebanese origin. According to the 2016 census there were 219,555 Canadians who claimed Lebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the 2006 census, making them by far the largest group of people wi ...

to hold a cabinet position in Nova Scotia. On July 24, 2015, premier Stephen McNeil shuffled his cabinet with Diab being retained as Minister of Immigration, but being shuffled out as Minister of Justice. On June 15, 2017, premier Stephen McNeil shuffled his cabinet, retaining Diab as Minister of Immigration, but giving her an additional role in cabinet as Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie. On October 13, 2020, premier Stephen McNeil shuffled his cabinet in response to the resignation of three Ministers who entered the leadership race to replace him. Diab was given an additional role in cabinet as Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. On February 23, 2021, premier Iain Rankin was sworn in as Nova Scotia's 29th premier along with a new cabinet. Diab retained her roles as Minister of Labour and Advanced Education and Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, while also retaining the newly renamed role of Minister of Immigration and Population Growth.

Electoral record

, - , Liberal , Lena Diab , align="right", 3,208 , align="right", 49.34 , align="right", , - ,

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

, Drew Moore , align="right", 2,233 , align="right", 34.34 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Irvine Carvery , align="right", 1,061 , align="right", 16.32 , align="right",

Personal life

In January 2017, Diab's husband Maroun was charged with assault, uttering threats and choking his wife, as well as threatening two other people in relation to an incident that occurred at their home in Halifax on December 31, 2016.Cabinet minister Lena Diab's husband charged with assaulting her
CBC News On March 23, 2017, her husband was found not criminally responsible for the incident after an assessment at the East Coast Forensic Hospital.DIAB, Maroun - June 2017
Government of Nova Scotia

References

External links

* Members of the 30th Canadian Ministry Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Women government ministers of Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Diab, Lena Living people Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Women MLAs in Nova Scotia Lawyers in Nova Scotia Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia Schulich School of Law alumni Saint Mary's University (Halifax) alumni Attorneys general of Nova Scotia Canadian people of Lebanese descent 21st-century Canadian women politicians 1965 births Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Liberal Party of Canada MPs 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Canadian Maronites