'It's about time': Newly elected MLAs pleased to set precedents at Province House

The Nova Scotia Legislature will see a fresh crop of members this fall, with some coming into the job proudly setting precedents. 

The newly elected MLAs include the first woman elected in Digby-Annapolis, the first Black woman elected in Halifax Needham, and the first Muslim member elected to the House. 

A day after winning the riding of Halifax Needham for the NDP, Suzy Hansen attended a protest against the removal of homeless citizens living in sheds on municipal property.

"Some really important issues for Halifax Needham in particular are the housing crisis," she said in an interview shortly before heading to the protest Wednesday.

"Rent control needs to be permanent ... people are being renovicted, pushed out of their homes. Health care is also a huge piece that a lot of our constituents are really worried about."

Hansen said in a tweet she attended the protest because her mother was from Africville, a Black community on the shore of the Bedford Basin that was demolished in the 1960s against the will of the people who lived there.

Being the first Black woman elected to represent Halifax Needham is "absolutely huge" and comes with a lot of pressure, said Hansen, a community organizer and mother of seven.

She hopes to inspire others to get involved in public life. 

"We need more young people in political spaces. We need more people with the colour of my skin around the table," she said. "We need a number of us all to be inspired to do the work to help our province."

Ali Duale, the Liberal MLA-elect for Halifax Armdale, came to Halifax with his wife and their three children in 1997 after leaving Somalia as refugees and spending seven years in a Kenyan refugee camp.

Though they arrived in Halifax alongside two other families of refugees, Duale's family was the only one that stayed in the province.

He credits his wife for that decision, saying it was the best place to raise their children and get further education. He and his wife took courses at the Nova Scotia Community College. Before the election campaign, Duale worked for Halifax Fire and Emergency.

"Without denying the fact that maybe I'm one of the lucky ones, this land and this province and this city offered me a place of refuge. Not only that, it allowed me to succeed," said Duale, whose family has grown to eight children.

"It allowed me to [get] where I am today, seeking a leadership role in this province and to make an impact."

Duale is a leading member of the Ummah Masjid Mosque, having helped raise millions to see the building constructed. 

According to the imam of the mosque, Duale is believed to be the first Muslim member of the legislative assembly. He is also one of a record four Black Nova Scotians elected. 

"I think it's something to celebrate, I think it's something to cherish," said Duale.

But he gently downplays a discussion of setting records.

"It's 2021, and we're still talking about the first," he said.

He points to issues such as housing, immigration, and migration — which has changed significantly in the 24 years since he moved to the city. 

"Those are the things we need to pay attention to. And those are the issues I'm bringing to the table in the legislature. It's not good enough to say to people to come here; we need to prepare," he said.

In Digby-Annapolis, the Progressive Conservative MLA-elect feels as if she's been preparing for this moment for the last seven years working in local community development. 

"If you really want to do community development right, it does take time," said Jill Balser. 

The PCs ran a focused campaign of health care, and Balser said she heard about those concerns over and over at the doorstep. She's also heard from residents through her work with development organization Turning the Tide, and now Balser said she's ready for action.

"We've done the work to talk to Nova Scotians, and in my experience with Turning the Tide, talking to residents across Digby-Annapolis about what those solutions could be," she said.  

Balser is the first female MLA elected in Digby-Annapolis since the riding was created in 1993. 

"It's about time, in all honesty," she said. 

Balser was born and raised in Digby and is a yoga instructor and runner in her free time. She moved away to Toronto for a time but was drawn back to Digby through a desire to reconnect with the place she grew up. 

Her father, Gordon Balser, served as a teacher for years and as the area MLA from 1998 to 2003. This time around, he worked as his daughter's campaign manager.

"I think that watching him as a teenager, I knew that when he was away he was doing important work, and so I never felt sad," said Jill Balser.

She said she hopes to emulate her father's style of talking respectfully and openly with constituents. 

"He's always intrigued and interested, but has this really special way of connecting with everyone," she said. 

As with all the new members of the House of Assembly, Balser knows her job is just beginning. 

"In 2021, to be the first woman in Digby-Annapolis, it feels like a good accomplishment, but I know we've got a lot more work to do," she said.