# Labi Kousoulis

Labi Kousoulis (born 1971) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2013 provincial election. A member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, he represented the electoral district of Halifax Citadel-Sable Island until his defeat in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election.

## Early life and education

Kousoulis was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of John Kousoulis and Marina Michalakos, who emigrated from Laconia in Southern Greece though Pier 21. He graduated from Saint Mary's University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He holds a Master in Business Administration from Saint Mary's University Sobey School of Business.

## Before politics

He worked as a commercial lender with Scotiabank, was an executive member of Wilsons Fuel, and as controller at Trenton Works. Kousoulis has also started a number of small businesses.

## Political career

On October 22, 2013, Kousoulis was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia where he served as Minister of the Public Service Commission, as well as being appointed Minister of Information Management and Minister of the Voluntary Sector. On April 1, 2014, he was appointed Minister of Internal Services, a new department including the responsibilities of the former Information Management portfolio, as well as various other support functions within government.
Kousoulis was re-elected in the 2017 election. On June 15, 2017, premier Stephen McNeil shuffled his cabinet, moving Kousoulis to Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. Kousoulis has been a member of the Treasury and Policy Board since his appointment to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia in 2013.
On February 23, 2021, Kousoulis was appointed as the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board, Minister of Inclusive Economic Growth (Formerly Business) and Minister of Trade.

## Leadership campaign

On September 30, 2020, Kousoulis announced his candidacy for the Leader of the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia and to become the 29th Premier of the Province.

## Electoral record

2021 Nova Scotia general election :
| 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 | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,028 | 99.79 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 17 | 0.21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,045 | 48.92 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 16,444 |
| | New Democratic gain from Liberal | New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +8.65 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||
2017 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Labi Kousoulis | 2,419 | 41% |
| | New Democratic | Glenn Walton | 1,618 | 28% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Rob Batherson | 1,480 | 25% |
| | Green | Martin Willison | 343 | 6% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 5860 | 100.0 |
#DCDCDC
2013 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Labi Kousoulis | 2,966 | 47.66 |
| | New Democratic Party | Leonard Preyra | 1,934 | 31.08 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Andrew Black | 1,094 | 17.58 |
| | Green | Brynn Horley | 198 | 3.18 |
| Independent (Atlantica) | Frederic Boileau-Cadieux | 31 | 0.50 | |