Lisa Lachance | |
|---|---|
| Critic, Finance and Treasury Board; Mental Health & Addictions; 2SLGBTQ+ Affairs; L’nu Affairs; Agriculture; Acadian Affairs; Advanced Education; and Communications NS. | |
| Assumed office September 7, 2021 | |
| Leader | Gary Burrill and Claudia Chender |
| Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | |
| Assumed office August 17, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Labi Kousoulis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | New Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Heather Gass |
| Dalhousie University | |
Lisa Anne Lachance[1] MLA is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election[2] and re-elected in the 2024 Nova Scotia general election.[3] She represents the riding of Halifax Citadel-Sable Island as a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
As of August 2025, Lachance serves as the Official Opposition critic for Finance, Environment, Mental Health and Addictions, 2SLGBTQIA+ Affairs, Acadian Affairs, and Natural Resources. Lachance also serves as the New Democrat House Leader.[4]
Early life
Lachance was born in Montreal, and spent time in Belleville, Ontario and Australia, before completing high school in Canning, Nova Scotia.[5] Lachance graduated from Dalhousie University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies and in 2000 with a Master of Public Administration.[6]
Personal life
Lachance and her partner Heather Gass were one of the first same-sex couples to be legally married in Canada following Halpern v Canada (AG).[7] Lachance is genderqueer[8] and uses she/they pronouns.[9] She is the first gender non-conforming MLA in Nova Scotia, and the third overall in the nation, joining Uzoma Asagwara and Estefan Cortes-Vargas.[9]
Electoral history
| 2024 Nova Scotia general election: Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Lisa Lachance | 3,903 | 52.67 | +10.36 | $55,869.00 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Eleanor Humphries | 1,908 | 25.75 | +8.00 | $36,029.47 | |||
| Liberal | Rob Grace | 1,440 | 19.43 | -17.39 | $44,395.80 | |||
| Green | Karen Beazley | 159 | 2.15 | -0.97 | $0 | |||
| Total valid votes | 7,410 | 100% | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 20 | |||||||
| Turnout | 7,430 | 41.7% | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 17,805 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | |||||||
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia[10] | ||||||||
| 2021 Nova Scotia general election: Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Lisa Lachance | 3,397 | 42.31 | +12.55 | $42,325.05 | |||
| Liberal | Labi Kousoulis | 2,956 | 36.82 | -4.74 | $76,524.21 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Sheri Morgan | 1,425 | 17.75 | -5.48 | $78,619.59 | |||
| Green | Noah Hollis | 250 | 3.11 | -2.33 | $3,156.19 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 8,028 | 99.79 | – | $95,751.07 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 17 | 0.21 | ||||||
| Turnout | 8,045 | 48.92 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 16,444 | |||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.65 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia[11][12] | ||||||||
| 2021 Nova Scotia general election: Halifax Citadel-Sable Island | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Lisa Lachance | 3,397 | 42.31 | +12.55 | ||||
| Liberal | Labi Kousoulis | 2,956 | 36.82 | -4.74 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Sheri Morgan | 1,425 | 17.75 | -5.48 | ||||
| Green | Noah Hollis | 250 | 3.11 | -2.33 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 8,028 | 99.79 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 17 | 0.21 | ||||||
| Turnout | 8,045 | 48.92 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 16,444 | |||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.65 | ||||||
References
- Biographical Directory of MLAs from 1984 to the Present Nova Scotia Legislature
- "Nova Scotia Election Riding Results: Halifax Citadel-Sable Island". Global News. August 17, 2021.
- "Get all the Nova Scotia election results". CBC News. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- "Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender announces NSNDP Shadow Cabinet". Nova Scotia NDP. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- "Interests - Lisa Lachance web". Lisalachance.ca.
- Biography of MLAs Nova Scotia Legislature
- MacDonald, Rory (June 18, 2003). "Victory in the Justice System". Xtra!.
- McSheffrey, Elizabeth. "Gender diversity will improve at N.S. legislature, but still falls below half of elected officials - Halifax | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
Lachance, who is genderqueer, knocked Liberal incumbent Labi Kousoulis out of the job — evidence that Nova Scotians "wanted change," they said.
- Armstrong, Lyndsay. "Meet peninsula Halifax's new MLAs Ali Duale, Suzy Hansen and Lisa Lachance". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
Lachance, who's non-binary and uses both they and she pronouns, is one of only a few openly gender-queer politicians to win a Canadian election.
- Nova Scotia, Chief Electoral Officer (2025). 42nd Provincial General Election, November 26, 2024: Volume 1 – Statement of Votes & Statistics (PDF) (Report). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- Nova Scotia, Chief Electoral Officer (2022). 41st Provincial General Election, August 17, 2021: Volume 1 – Statement of Votes & Statistics (PDF) (Report). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- Nova Scotia, Chief Electoral Officer (2022). 41st Provincial General Election, August 17, 2021: Volume 3 – Financial Information & Statistics (PDF) (Report). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved February 1, 2026.