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.

Rafah DiCostanzo
MLA
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
for Clayton Park West
Assumed office
May 30, 2017
Preceded byDiana Whalen
Personal details
Born (1962-05-02) May 2, 1962
Baghdad, Iraq
Political partyLiberal
SpouseJohn DiCostanzo
OccupationInterpreter

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.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

Electoral record
2021 Nova Scotia general election: Clayton Park West
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalRafah DiCostanzo3,60347.60+1.56
Progressive ConservativeNargis DeMolitor1,87524.77-1.52
New DemocraticReena Davis1,83624.25+4.12
GreenRichard Zurawski2102.77-3.00
AtlanticaHelen Lau460.61-1.17
Total valid votes 7,57099.74
Total rejected ballots 200.26
Turnout 7,59052.63
Eligible voters 14,422
Liberal hold Swing +1.54
2017 Nova Scotia general election: Clayton Park West
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalRafah DiCostanzo4,03546.04-21.44
Progressive ConservativePaul Kimball2,30426.29+11.31
New DemocraticRana Zaman1,76420.13+2.58
GreenThomas Trappenberg5065.77N/A
AtlanticaJonathan Dean1541.78N/A
Total valid votes 8,763100.0  
Total rejected ballots 300.34
Turnout 8,79349.90
Eligible voters 17,620
Liberal hold Swing -16.38
Source: Elections Nova Scotia[5][6]

References
  1. "Clayton Park West up for grabs with Whalen’s departure". Local Xpress, May 29, 2017.
  2. "A leader wins, a cabinet minister loses: How Halifax-area candidates fared". CBC News, May 30, 2017.
  3. "Halifax MLA issues challenge to stop littering".
  4. "Nova Scotia election riding results: Clayton Park West - Halifax | Globalnews.ca".
  5. "Statement of Votes & Statistics, Volume I" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  6. "May 30th, 2017 - 40th Nova Scotia Provincial General Election". Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
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