Central Nova () is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 until 1996. In 1996, Antigonish County and part of Guysborough County were placed with Pictou County in a new electoral boundaries configuration to form the electoral district of Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough. A new version of Central Nova was established in 2003 and — in conjunction with the Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough iteration — represented a significant electoral boundaries change with specific reference to Antigonish County. Between 1867 and 1997, Antigonish County was not in a riding that included Pictou County; rather, it comprised either its own electoral district (Antigonish), or part of other districts shared with Eastern Nova Scotia (Antigonish-Guysborough) and Cape Breton Island communities (Cape Breton Highlands Canso, 1968–1997). In 2013, part of Antigonish County was "placed back" with communities in the electoral district of Cape Breton Canso, a riding which had emerged in part from the former Cape Breton Highlands Canso riding in 1996. The current version of Central Nova includes Pictou County, parts of Antigonish and Guysborough Counties (including the Town of Antigonish and the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's) and extends into Halifax Regional Municipality.
Demographics
According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2023 representation order
Languages: 96.6% English, 1.8% French Race: 91.7% White, 4.6% Indigenous, 1.8% Black Religions: 62.1% Christian (23.0% Catholic, 10.2% United Church, 9.5% Anglican, 8.3% Presbyterian, 3.2% Baptist, 1.5% Methodist, 1.1% Pentecostal, 8.0% other), 36.7% none Median income: $38,000 (2020) Average income: $44,400 (2020)
Geography The district covers all or part of the following counties:
Pictou County (all) Antigonish County (part) Guysborough County (part) Halifax County (part)
Specifically, it includes the following municipal corporations:
Municipality of the County of Pictou The towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou, Westville, Trenton, and Antigonish Municipality of the County of Antigonish Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Halifax Regional Municipality (east of Jeddore Oyster Pond and Marinette).
Communities include:
Pictou County New Glasgow Stellarton Westville Trenton Pictou River John
Antigonish County (as part of the county portion placed in Central Nova) Antigonish
Guysborough County (as part of the county portion placed in Central Nova) Goshen Sherbrooke Trafalgar Marie Joseph
Halifax County (as part of the county portion placed in Central Nova) Sheet Harbour Port Dufferin Lake Charlotte Jeddore Oyster Pond
The electoral district has an area of 8,439 km2.
Political geography In 2008, the riding had the unusual scenario of having Green Party leader Elizabeth May run without any Liberal opposition. Thus, the race was mostly between Conservative candidate Peter MacKay and May. May's support was concentrated in the community of Antigonish. Outside this area, she won just a few pockets of support. She was nearly shut out in the New Glasgow metropolitan area, where she won just one poll. MacKay won most of the rest of the riding, and the NDP picked up three polls.
History
The district was created in 1966 from Antigonish—Guysborough (with part of Guysborough added to Central Nova, while Antigonish County and a portion of Guysborough were placed with the Cape Breton Highlands Canso riding), Colchester—Hants, and Pictou. In sum, in 1966, Central Nova consisted of Pictou County, southern Colchester County, eastern Halifax County, and western Guysborough County. In 1976, it gained some territory in Halifax County (eastern central portion), and it lost its territory in Colchester County. In 1987, it lost most of Guysborough County except for the most extreme western point, and gained all of central and central western Halifax County. In 1996, it was merged into Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, and Sackville—Eastern Shore.
The electoral district was re-created in 2003: 93.3% of the riding came from Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough riding, and 6.7% came from Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore. In the 2004 election, Conservative Party candidate Peter MacKay, who had represented Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, was returned to the House of Commons from Central Nova. He was re-elected in the 2006 election.
Green Party leader Elizabeth May contested the seat in the 2008 federal election. In a move that startled political observers, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion announced on April 13, 2007, that his party would not contest the seat in order to give May a better chance of winning, a move that marked the first time in decades that the Liberals did not field a full slate of candidates in a general election. In return, the Greens (who also fielded a full slate in the last election) did not contest Dion's Montreal riding. After coming in second to Peter MacKay, May announced she would not run in Central Nova in the next federal election.
Its new boundaries, determined during 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution, have been legally defined in the 2013 representation order. The new boundaries encompass most of the pre-2012 riding as well as a portion of Nova Scotia represented in the current electoral districts of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley and Sackville—Eastern Shore. It lost 9% of its previous territory to Cape Breton—Canso, territory that, for decades prior to this, had already been part of Cape Breton Highlands Canso. It came into effect upon the call of the 42nd Canadian federal election, which took place on 19 October 2015.
Following the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, the riding lost the remainder of Antigonish County to Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish and gained Lawrencetown, Porters Lake and Chezzetcook from Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. These changes will came into effect upon the calling of the 2025 Canadian federal election.
Members of Parliament
This riding has elected the following members of Parliament:
Election results 2025
2021 2021 federal election redistributed results Party Vote % Liberal 18,031 44.30 Conservative 13,370 32.85 New Democratic 6,572 16.15 People's 1,624 3.99 Green 620 1.52 Others 484 1.19
2019
2015
2011 federal election redistributed resultsPundits' Guide to Canadian Elections Party Vote % Conservative 21,494 55.29 New Democratic 10,422 26.81 Liberal 5,424 13.95 Green 1,479 3.80 Others 57 0.15
2011
2008
2006
2004
2000 federal election redistributed results Party Vote % Progressive Conservative 17,969 47.53 Liberal 11,471 30.34 New Democratic 4,845 12.82 Alliance 2,976 7.87 Others 541 1.43
1993
1988
1984
1983 by-election
1980
1979
1974
1972
1971 by-election
1968
See also List of Canadian electoral districts Historical federal electoral districts of Canada
References
Notes
External links Library of Parliament Riding history for Central Nova (2003– ) from the Library of Parliament