Ben Jessome

Benjamin Thomas Jessome^[2] (born October 22, 1986) 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 Hammonds Plains-Lucasville.^[3]

Ben Jessome
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Hammonds Plains-Lucasville
In office October 8, 2013 – October 27, 2024
Preceded by	Riding Established
Succeeded by	Rick Burns
Personal details
Born	Benjamin Thomas Jessome (1986-10-22) October 22, 1986 (age 38)[1]
Political party	Liberal

Early life and education

Jessome attended Hammonds Plains Consolidated School, Madeline Symonds Middle School and Charles P. Allen High School. He graduated from Hebron Academy in 2006.^[4] In 2011, Jessome completed a bachelor's degree in recreation management from Acadia University. While at Acadia, Jessome was elected President of the Students' Union, was a member of the University Board of Governors and Senate, and represented the interests of his constituents to the provincial and national governments, as a delegate with the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (now Students Nova Scotia) and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.^[5][6]

Political career

In May 2013, Jessome successfully ran for the Liberal nomination in the riding of Hammonds Plains-Lucasville.^[7] He was elected in the 2013 provincial election.^[8] Currently Jessome is Vice Chair of the Private & Local Bills Committee. He is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.^[5] Jessome is also a member of the economic Development and Human Resources Committee, with a focus on Youth Employment strategies.

On February 23, 2021, Jessome was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of the Public Service Commission.^[9]

Jessome was re-elected in the 2021 election, however the Rankin Liberals lost government becoming the Official Opposition.^[10][11]

As of September 22, 2024, Jessome serves as the Official Opposition critic for the Emergency Management Office, Internal Services, and Communications Nova Scotia.

Electoral record

v t e 2017 Nova Scotia general election: Hammonds Plains-Lucasville
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Ben Jessome	3,432	46.69	-5.55
	Progressive Conservative	Matt Whitman	2,421	32.94	+11.09
	New Democratic	Paul McGuinness	1,157	15.74	-8.57
	Green	Jessica Alexander	340	4.62	–
Total valid votes			7,350	100.00	–
Total rejected ballots			16	0.22	-0.15
Turnout			7,366	57.34	+0.29
Eligible voters			12,847
	Liberal hold		Swing		-8.32
Source: Elections Nova Scotia[12][13]

2013 Nova Scotia general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Ben Jessome	3,402	52.24	N/A
	New Democratic Party	Peter Lund	1,583	24.31	N/A
	Progressive Conservative	Gina Byrne	1,423	21.85	N/A
	Atlantica	Jonathan Dean	104	1.60	N/A