# Halifax Needham

Halifax Needham is a provincial electoral district in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It has existed since 1967, though its boundaries have changed periodically.
Halifax Needham encompasses what is largely known as the North End of Halifax. It has been held by members of each of the three major political parties in Nova Scotia at different times. The riding was once the home of Liberal Premier Gerald Regan before going to Progressive Conservative Edmund L. Morris for the majority of the 1980s. Morris served as a Member of Parliament for Halifax under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker before becoming the Mayor of Halifax. He served in the Provincial Cabinet as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Fisheries, and Social Services.
When he stepped down in 1988, the Progressive Conservatives lost the seat in that election to Gerry O'Malley, who was unseated from his position as Liberal Minister of Supply and Services in 1998. Maureen MacDonald held the seat from 1998 until 2016. The seat is considered a reasonably safe seat for the NDP, though the 2013 election was close, amid a province-wide swing to the Liberals.
It was created in 1966 when Halifax North was divided into three districts, one of which was Halifax City North East. The district was renamed Halifax Needham in 1967. In 2003, it gained an area east of Citadel Hill from Halifax Citadel. In 2013, it lost the area south of Robie Street and east of Young Street to Halifax Chebucto and gained the area north of Bayers Road and east of Connaught Avenue from Halifax Chebucto.

## Members of the Legislative Assembly

This riding has elected the following members of the Legislative Assembly:
| Legislature | Years | Member | Party |
| Halifax North Riding created from Halifax |||||
| 40th | 1933–1937 | Gordon Isnor | Liberal |
| 41st | 1937–1941 | Harold Connolly | Liberal |
| 42nd | 1941–1945 | Harold Connolly | Liberal |
| 43rd | 1945–1949 | Harold Connolly | Liberal |
| 44th | 1949–1953 | Harold Connolly | Liberal |
| 45th | 1953–1956 | Harold Connolly | Liberal |
| 46th | 1956–1960 | John E. Ahern | Liberal |
| 47th | 1960–1963 | John E. Ahern | Liberal |
| 48th | 1963–1967 | James H. Vaughan | Progressive Conservative |
| Halifax Needham |||||
| 49th | 1967–1970 | Gerald Regan | Liberal |
| 50th | 1970–1974 | Gerald Regan | Liberal |
| 51st | 1974–1978 | Gerald Regan | Liberal |
| 52nd | 1978–1980 | Gerald Regan | Liberal |
| 52nd | 1980–1981 | Edmund L. Morris | Progressive Conservative |
| 53rd | 1981–1984 | Edmund L. Morris | Progressive Conservative |
| 54th | 1984–1988 | Edmund L. Morris | Progressive Conservative |
| 55th | 1988–1993 | Gerry O'Malley | Liberal |
| 56th | 1993–1998 | Gerry O'Malley | Liberal |
| 57th | 1998–1999 | Maureen MacDonald | New Democratic |
| 58th | 1999–2003 | Maureen MacDonald | New Democratic |
| 59th | 2003–2005 | Maureen MacDonald | New Democratic |
| 60th | 2006–2009 | Maureen MacDonald | New Democratic |
| 61st | 2009–2013 | Maureen MacDonald | New Democratic |
| 62nd | 2013–2016 | Maureen MacDonald | New Democratic |
| 62nd | 2016–2017 | Lisa Roberts | New Democratic |
| 63rd | 2017–2021 | Lisa Roberts | New Democratic |
| 64th | 2021–2024 | Suzy Hansen | New Democratic |
| 65th | 2024–present | Suzy Hansen | New Democratic |

## Geography

The land-area of Halifax Needham is 6 km$^2$ (2.3 sq mi).

## Election results
### 1967

1967 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gerald Regan | 3,354 | 48.18% | – |
| | Progressive Conservative | Cecil Moore | 3,252 | 46.72% | – |
| | New Democratic | Buddy Daye | 355 | 5.10% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,961 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia Legislature (1967). Legislature of Nova Scotia Election Returns (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1970

1970 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gerald Regan | 4,514 | 57.92% | 9.74% |
| | Progressive Conservative | David MacKeen | 2,887 | 37.05% | -9.67% |
| | New Democratic | Alasdair Sinclair | 392 | 5.03% | -0.07% |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,793 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia Legislature (1970). Legislature of Nova Scotia Election Returns (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1974

1974 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gerald Regan | 4,364 | 61.49% | 3.57% |
| | Progressive Conservative | James H. Vaughan | 1,854 | 26.12% | -10.92% |
| | New Democratic | Marty Dolin | 879 | 12.39% | 7.36% |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,097 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1974). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Twenty-Eighth General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1978

1978 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gerald Regan | 3,553 | 43.38% | -18.11% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Pat Curran | 3,416 | 41.70% | 15.58% |
| | New Democratic | James "Dusty" Miller | 1,222 | 14.92% | 2.53% |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,191 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1978). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Twenty-Ninth General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1981

1981 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Edmund L. Morris | 3,300 | 38.05% | -3.66% |
| | Liberal | Dan Clarke | 2,801 | 32.30% | -11.08% |
| | New Democratic | Phil Davis | 2,572 | 29.66% | 14.74% |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,673 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1981). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirteith General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1984

1984 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Edmund L. Morris | 3,173 | 39.97% | 1.92% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 2,514 | 31.67% | 2.01% |
| | Liberal | Walter Fitzgerald | 2,208 | 27.81% | -4.48% |
| | Labour | Beatrice Kaizer | 44 | 0.55% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,939 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1984). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-First General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1988

1988 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gerry O'Malley | 3,469 | 41.91% | 14.09% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 2,693 | 32.53% | 0.87% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Randy Dewell | 2,116 | 25.56% | -14.41% |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,278 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1988). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-Second General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1993

1993 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gerry O'Malley | 4,527 | 45.18% | 3.28% |
| | New Democratic | Innis MacDonald | 3,555 | 35.48% | 2.95% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ron Walter Milsom | 1,852 | 18.48% | -7.08% |
| | Natural Law | Ian Temple | 85 | 0.85% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 10,019 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1993). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-Third General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||

### 1998

1998 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 4,837 | 58.51% | 23.03% |
| | Liberal | Gerry O'Malley | 2,506 | 30.31% | -14.87% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Artho Kartsaklis | 924 | 11.18% | -7.31% |
| Total | Total | Total | 8,267 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 1999

1999 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 3,525 | 44.95% | -13.56% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Linda Carvery | 2,185 | 27.86% | 16.69% |
| | Liberal | Mike Rogers | 1,970 | 25.12% | -5.19% |
| | Nova Scotia Party | Scott Higgins | 162 | 2.07% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,842 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 2003

2003 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 3,709 | 50.26% | 5.31% |
| | Liberal | Mike Rogers | 2,178 | 29.51% | 4.39% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Linda Carvery | 1,377 | 18.66% | -9.20% |
| | Nova Scotia Party | Blair Baxter | 116 | 1.57% | -0.49% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,380 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 59 | 0.79 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,439 | 55.17 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 13,484 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 2006

2006 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 4,438 | 60.62% | 10.36% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Andrew Black | 1,330 | 18.17% | -0.49% |
| | Liberal | Errol Gaum | 1,220 | 16.66% | -12.85% |
| | Green | Amanda Myers | 333 | 4.55% | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,321 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 32 | 0.44 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,353 | 49.85 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 14,750 | – |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +5.43 |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 2009

2009 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Maureen MacDonald | 5,336 | 67.30% | 6.68% |
| | Liberal | Graham Estabrooks | 1,690 | 21.31% | 4.65% |
| | Progressive Conservative | John J. Cameron | 536 | 6.76% | -11.41% |
| | Green | Kris MacLellan | 367 | 4.63% | 0.08% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,929 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 31 | 0.39 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,960 | 49.01 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 16,241 | – |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +1.01 |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Halifax Needham" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 2013

2009 Nova Scotia general election redistributed results :
| Party | Vote | % |
| New Democratic | 5,013 | 67.24 |
| Liberal | 1,632 | 21.89 |
| Progressive Conservative | 491 | 6.59 |
| Green | 319 | 4.28 |
2013 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic Party | Maureen MacDonald | 3,392 | 43.99 | -23.25 |
| | Liberal | Chris Poole | 3,115 | 40.40 | +18.51 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mary D.S. Hamblin | 834 | 10.82 | +4.23 |
| | Green | Kris MacLellan | 369 | 4.79 | +0.51 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,710 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 72 | 0.93 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,782 | 50.43 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 15,432 | – |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | -20.88 |

### 2016 by-election

August 30, 2016 by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic Party | Lisa Roberts | 2,519 | 50.97 | +6.98 |
| | Liberal | Rod Wilson | 1,662 | 33.63 | -6.77 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Andy Arsenault | 600 | 12.14 | +1.32 |
| | Green | Thomas Trappenberg | 161 | 3.26 | -1.53 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 4,942 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 21 | 0.42 | -0.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,963 | 32.50 | -17.93 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 15,270 | – |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +6.87 |

### 2017

vte2017 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Lisa Roberts | 3,880 | 51.4 | +0.43 |
| | Liberal | Melinda Daye | 2,075 | 27.5 | -6.13 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Matthew Donahoe | 1,135 | 15.0 | +2.86 |
| | Green | Andrew Jamieson | 465 | 6.2 | +2.94 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,599 | 45.9 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 44 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 16,558 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | -3.28 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||

### 2021

2017 provincial election redistributed results :
| Party | Vote | % |
| New Democratic | 4,007 | 51.29 |
| Liberal | 2,220 | 28.42 |
| Progressive Conservative | 1,125 | 14.40 |
| Green | 460 | 5.89 |
vte2021 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Suzy Hansen | 5,308 | 58.96 | +7.67 | $70,071.07 |
| | Liberal | Colin Coady | 2,617 | 29.07 | +0.65 | $63,403.44 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Scott Ellis | 904 | 10.04 | -4.36 | $25,818.91 |
| | Green | Kai Trappenberg | 173 | 1.92 | -3.97 | $200.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 9,002 | 99.52 | – | $97,461.81 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 43 | 0.48 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,045 | 53.34 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 16,957 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +3.51 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||

### 2024

vte2024 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Suzy Hansen | 5,063 | 67.8% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Trayvone Clayton | 1,276 | 17.1% |
| | Liberal | Jon Frost | 1,003 | 13.4% |
| | Green | Amethyste Hamel-Gregory | 127 | 1.7% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,469 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||