Claudia Chender Explained

Claudia Chender
Birth Date:29 July 1976
Office:Leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party
Term Start:June 25, 2022
Predecessor:Gary Burrill
Honorific-Suffix:MLA
Assembly1:Nova Scotia House of
Constituency Am1:Dartmouth South
Term Start1:May 30, 2017
Predecessor1:Marian Mancini
Residence:Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Spouse:Jamie MacLellan
Occupation:Lawyer

Claudia Chender (born July 29, 1976)[1] is a Canadian politician, and leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party since June 25, 2022. She was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2017 general election, and re-elected in the 2021 general election. She represents the electoral district of Dartmouth South.[2]

Leader of the NSNDP

After the 2021 Nova Scotia general election, then-party leader Gary Burrill appointed Chender as the House Leader for the NSNDP caucus.[3] She returned to her role as the spokesperson for Justice and Status of Women as well as the critic for Economic Development and Natural Resources and Renewables.[3]

On November 9, 2021, Burrill announced that he would resign as leader once a successor was chosen at a future convention.[4] On February 14, 2022, Chender declared her candidacy to replace Burrill as leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (NSNDP).[5] On May 21, 2022 registration closed for the leadership race, with Chender being the sole candidate.[6]

Chender was elected leader of the Nova Scotia NDP after a general membership vote on June 25, 2022.[7] [8] She is the third female leader of the NSNDP, with the previous female leaders being Alexa McDonough and Helen MacDonald; fourth leader, if interim leader Maureen MacDonald is included.[9]

Early life and education

Chender is a lawyer by training and has worked in the not for profit and private sectors. Three of Chender's grandparents were Holocaust survivors and she was taught about the Holocaust by her Polish-Jewish grandmother. Many of her relatives died in the Holocaust, including some at Auschwitz.[10] [11] She graduated from Dalhousie University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts and then from the University of Victoria in 2004 with a Bachelor of Laws. She lives in Dartmouth South with her husband and three children.

Notes and References

  1. https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/people/mlabios.pdf The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia: a biographical directory from 1984 to the Present: Chender, Claudia, page 41
  2. http://globalnews.ca/news/3483936/nova-scotia-election-ndp-claudia-chender-elected-in-dartmouth-south-riding/ "Nova Scotia election: NDP Claudia Chender elected in Dartmouth South riding"
  3. News: Cooke . Alex . Nova Scotia NDP leader Gary Burrill announces new caucus roles . Global News . Halifax, Nova Scotia . September 8, 2021 . 2022-06-26 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220106002824/https://globalnews.ca/news/8174704/ns-ndp-new-caucus-roles/ . January 6, 2022.
  4. Web site: Doucette . Keith . Nova Scotia NDP Leader Gary Burrill to step down once party chooses successor . November 9, 2021 . CTV News . Halfax, Nova Scotia . The Canadian Press . 2022-06-26 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211110082206/https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/nova-scotia-ndp-leader-gary-burrill-to-step-down-once-party-chooses-successor-1.5658565 . November 10, 2021.
  5. News: Renić. Karla. Claudia Chender announces her bid for leadership of Nova Scotia NDP Party . Global News. February 14, 2022 . February 14, 2022. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220513025955/https://globalnews.ca/news/8617815/claudia-chender-nova-scotia-ndp-leadership/. May 13, 2022.
  6. News: The Canadian Press . Claudia Chender sole candidate running as leader of Nova Scotia’s NDP . May 21, 2022 . Toronto Star . 2022-05-23 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220523110948/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/05/21/claudia-chender-sole-candidate-running-as-leader-of-nova-scotias-ndp.html . May 23, 2022.
  7. News: Ramesar . Vernon . May 21, 2022 . Claudia Chender unopposed in run for Nova Scotia NDP leadership . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220523122329/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/claudia-chender-nsndp-sole-candidate-leadership-1.6462245 . May 23, 2022 . 2022-05-23 . CBC News.
  8. News: Fairclough . Ian . June 25, 2022 . Chender comes out swinging in first speech as Nova Scotia's NDP leader . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220626023740/https://www.saltwire.com/halifax/news/chender-comes-out-swinging-in-first-speech-as-nova-scotias-ndp-leader-100747384/ . June 26, 2022 . 2022-06-25 . The Chronicle Herald.
  9. News: Doucette . Keith . June 25, 2022 . Nova Scotia NDP officially confirms Claudia Chender as new party leader . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220626201806/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/06/25/nova-scotia-ndp-officially-confirms-claudia-chender-as-new-party-leader.html . June 26, 2022 . 2022-06-26 . Toronto Star . The Canadian Press.
  10. Web site: Nova Scotia MLA whose grandparents fled Holocaust condemns Nazi graffiti . . 2023-06-29.
  11. Web site: Tweets . . 2023-06-29.