# Rafah DiCostanzo

Rafah DiCostanzo (born May 2, 1962) is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2017 provincial election. She announced that she would not be seeking reelection in October 2024.

## Early life and education

DiCostanzo was born in Baghdad, Iraq. She moved to Great Britain as a teenager and arrived in Canada in 1984. She graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1988 with a bachelor of arts in modern languages. She has been an Arabic interpreter with Nova Scotia Interpreting Services since 1990.

## Personal life

DiCostanzo is married to John DiCostanzo, a lawyer. Dicostanzo has lived in Clayton Park West for over 33 years.
DiCostanzo worked for Nova Scotia Interpreting Services and also has experience in banking administration, travel constituency, entrepreneurship and business ownership. DiCostanzo speaks five different languages and has worked as an interpreter for new immigrants and refugees for almost 30 years.

## Political career

DiCostanzo is a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. First elected in 2017, DiCostanzo became the first Iraqi-Canadian elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. she has represented the electoral district of Clayton Park West since 2017.
DiCostanzo and other community leaders set up a "Stop Littering Committee" in Clayton Park West and challenged other MLAs to help reduce litter and start a conversation about waste management in their rides.
DiCostanzo is currently the Liberal Caucus Chair and vice-Chair of the Community Services Committee, and Chair of the Human Resources Committee, and Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Chair of the Private and Local Bills Committee, and Chair of the Health Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee. DiCostanzo is a member of the Public Accounts, Internal Affairs and Law Amendments Committees. She is also a member of the House of Assembly Management Commission.
DiCostanzo was re-elected in the 2021 provincial election.
As of September 22, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Immigration, the Office of Mental Health and Addictions, and Seniors & Long Term Care.
In October 2024, DiCostanzo announced that she would not run in the 2024 Nova Scotia general election on account of her health, having ended cancer treatments in October previous year.

## Electoral record

vte2021 Nova Scotia general election: Clayton Park West :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Rafah DiCostanzo | 3,603 | 47.60 | +1.97 | $56,738.05 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Nargis DeMolitor | 1,875 | 24.77 | -1.39 | $14,590.30 |
| | New Democratic | Reena Davis | 1,836 | 24.25 | +3.41 | $23,194.34 |
| | Green | Richard Zurawski | 210 | 2.77 | -2.76 | $200.00 |
| | Atlantica | Helen Lau | 46 | 0.61 | -1.22 | $200.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 7,570 | 99.74 | | $83,815.86 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 20 | 0.26 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,590 | 52.44 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 14,474 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +1.68 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||
vte2017 Nova Scotia general election: Clayton Park West :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Rafah DiCostanzo | 4,035 | 46.04 | -21.44 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Paul Kimball | 2,304 | 26.29 | +11.31 |
| | New Democratic | Rana Zaman | 1,764 | 20.13 | +2.58 |
| | Green | Thomas Trappenberg | 506 | 5.77 | N/A |
| | Atlantica | Jonathan Dean | 154 | 1.78 | N/A |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,763 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 30 | 0.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,793 | 49.90 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 17,620 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -16.38 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||