Susan Leblanc has been elected in the riding of Dartmouth North, unseating Liberal MLA and cabinet minister Joanne Bernard.
In 2013, Community Services Minister Joanne Bernard won the election with 44.06 per cent of the vote. Though holding a high-profile cabinet position, she has dealt with critique from some quarters for being a weak constituency MLA.
Prior to Bernard’s election, the riding elected an NDP MLA dating back to 1998. Before then, the seat has been held by both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives. This time, the NDP put forward Leblanc, who is well known in her community for her volunteer activities and as co-artistic director of Zuppa Theatre.
Leblanc won with 39.3 per cent of the vote.
The riding was first created in 1967.