2024 Pictou West provincial by-election

2024 Pictou West provincial by-election

←  2021 May 21, 2024 (2024-05-21) 65th →
Riding of Pictou West
Turnout	48.1% ( 13.4)
First party Second party Third party   PC NDP LIB Candidate Marco MacLeod Melinda MacKenzie Mary Wooldridge-Elliott Party Progressive Conservative New Democratic Liberal Popular vote 4,159 949 548 Percentage 72.48% 16.54% 9.55% Swing 8.86 4.18 11.86
MLA before election Karla MacFarlane Progressive Conservative Elected MLA Marco MacLeod Progressive Conservative

A by-election was held in the provincial riding of Pictou West in Nova Scotia on May 21, 2024, to elect a new member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly following the resignation of Progressive Conservative MLA Karla MacFarlane. ^[1] The deadline for candidate nominations is May 1, 2024. ^{[2] [3]}

Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston called the by-election quickly, only two weeks after MacFarlane's resignation, suggesting the party is confident they will hold the seat. ^[4]

On election day, the Progressive Conservative candidate, Marco MacLeod, a local sawmill owner won the seat with over 70 per cent of the vote. The NDP, and its candidate, Melinda McKenzie finished second and claimed a 'strong showing'. The Liberals finished in third for the second by-election in a row (they also finished third in the 2023 Preston provincial by-election), and lost their deposit by failing to get 10 per cent of the votes. ^[5]

Background

The riding spans from western Pictou County to River John in the central part of the province. ^[6] Its main centre is the town of Pictou.

The Progressive Conservatives have held the seat since the 2013 election when MacFarlane defeated the incumbent, Charlie Parker of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party in a relatively close race. Since defeating Parker, she has enjoyed landslide victories in both the 2017 and 2021 elections, winning over 60 per cent of the vote in both elections.

Candidates

• Clare Brett (Green): She was the candidate for Pictou West in the 2021 election.
• Melinda MacKenzie (NDP): She is a councillor for the town of Pictou and works as a teacher. ^[7]
• Marco MacLeod (Progressive Conservative): He is a small business owner and farmer from Scotsburn. ^{[8] [9]} Owns a small custom lumber mill. ^[4]
• Mary Wooldridge-Elliott (Liberal): She is the councillor for District 4 in Pictou County. She previously ran for the Liberals in Pictou West in the 2021 election. ^[10] She is also a school bus driver. ^[4]

Issues

The province's health care system and the cost of living were cited as the main issues of the campaign. ^[4] Local issues include constructing wind turbines in the area, and re-opening a pulp mill. Bear Head Energy is proposing the construction 100 wind turbines in the eastern part of the county outside the riding, which is opposed by many in the community. Of the four candidates, only the Green Party's Clare Brett supports this. Northern Pulp is proposing re-opening a pulp mill in the region, which has been closed for five years. ^[11]

Election results

Nova Scotia provincial by-election, May 21, 2024 Resignation of Karla MacFarlane
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Progressive Conservative	Marco MacLeod	4,159	72.48	+8.86
	New Democratic	Melinda MacKenzie	949	16.54	+4.18
	Liberal	Mary Wooldridge-Elliott	548	9.55	-11.86
	Green	Clare Brett	82	1.43	-0.33
Total valid votes/Expense limit			5,738	99.29
Total rejected ballots			41	0.71	+0.34
Turnout			5,779	48.09	-13.36
Eligible voters			12,018
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		+2.34
Source: Elections Nova Scotia [12]

2021 result

v t e 2021 Nova Scotia general election : Pictou West
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Progressive Conservative	Karla MacFarlane	4,487	63.62	+1.04	$26,401.55
	Liberal	Mary Wooldridge-Elliott	1,510	21.41	+4.95	$29,635.78
	New Democratic	Rick Parker	872	12.36	-6.30	$25,332.33
	Green	Clare Brett	124	1.76	-0.54	$200.00
	Independent	John A. Clark	60	0.85		$200.00
Total valid votes/Expense limit			7,053	99.63	–	$69,087.61
Total rejected ballots			26	0.37
Turnout			7,079	61.44
Eligible voters			11,521
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		-1.96
Source: Elections Nova Scotia [13]

References

1. Gorman, Michael (April 5, 2024). "Karla MacFarlane announces retirement from Nova Scotia politics - Veteran Pictou West MLA was the province's first female Speaker of the House". CBC News .
2. "Date set for Pictou West by-election following retirement of Karla MacFarlane - Halifax | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
3. "Byelection called for May 21 in Nova Scotia's Pictou West riding". 650 CKOM. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
4. "Nova Scotia byelection vote set for Tuesday in riding formerly held by popular Tory". Global News. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
5. Patil, Anjuli (May 21, 2024). "PC candidate Marco MacLeod declared unofficial winner of byelection in Pictou West". CBC News .
6. "When is the Pictou byelection?". halifax.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
7. "Melinda MacKenzie named NSNDP Candidate for Pictou West". New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia . 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
8. "Marco MacLeod to represent PCs in Pictou West". Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia . 19 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
9. "Pictou West by-election set for May 21". CBC News. April 21, 2024.
10. "Mary Wooldridge-Elliott Nominated as Liberal Candidate for Pictou West". Liberal Party of Nova Scotia . 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
11. "Candidates in Pictou West byelection tread lightly on controversial issues". CBC. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
12. "By-election Pending in Pictou West". Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
13. "Provincial General Election 2021-08-17- Official Results" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved May 17, 2024.

See also

• List of Nova Scotia by-elections