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.^[3]

The Honourable Labi Kousoulis
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island
In office October 8, 2013 – July 17, 2021
Preceded by	Leonard Preyra
Succeeded by	Lisa Lachance
Minister of the Public Service Commission
In office October 22, 2013 – April 1, 2014
Premier	Stephen McNeil
Preceded by	Marilyn More
Succeeded by	Tony Ince
Minister of Internal Services
In office April 1, 2014 – June 5, 2017
Premier	Stephen McNeil
Preceded by	Ministry Established
Succeeded by	Patricia Arab
Minister of Labour and Advanced Education
In office June 5, 2017 – September 30, 2020
Premier	Stephen McNeil
Preceded by	Kelly Regan
Member of Treasury and Policy Board
In office October 22, 2013 – September 30, 2020
Premier	Stephen McNeil
Personal details
Born	1971[1][2] Halifax, Nova Scotia
Political party	Liberal
Website	Official website

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.^[4] He graduated from Saint Mary's University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.^[5] 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.^[6]

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,^[7] as well as being appointed Minister of Information Management and Minister of the Voluntary Sector.^[8] 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.^[9][10]

Kousoulis was re-elected in the 2017 election.^[11] On June 15, 2017, premier Stephen McNeil shuffled his cabinet, moving Kousoulis to Minister of Labour and Advanced Education.^[12][13] 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.^[14]

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.^[15]

Labi Kousoulis announces Liberal Leadership Campaign.

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			8,028	99.79
Total rejected ballots			17	0.21
Turnout			8,045	48.92
Eligible voters			16,444
	New Democratic gain from Liberal		Swing		+8.65
Source: Elections Nova Scotia[16]

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			5860	100.0

#DCDCDC

2013 Nova Scotia general election

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

References

1. "Labi Kousoulis leadership campaign hits Cape Breton | Saltwire".
2. Labi Kousoulis promises to work hard for all Nova Scotians as premier Halifax Chronicle Herald
3. "Nova Scotia votes: Riding-by-riding results for Halifax region" Archived 2014-02-28 at the Wayback Machine. Metro, October 8, 2013.
4. "Home | Pier 21". pier21.ca. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
5. Eight Saint Mary's Alumni Headed to Province House^{[permanent dead link‍]} Saint Mary's University
6. "About". Labi Kousoulis. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
7. "Premier Stephen McNeil welcomes 16-member cabinet". CBC. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
8. "Labi appointed Minister of the Public Service Commission | Labi Kousoulis". Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
9. "N.S. government creates new department, reorganizes others". The News. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
10. Scotia, Communications Nova (11 May 2018). "Departmental Realignments Focus on Better Service Delivery". News Releases.
11. "Liberal Labi Kousoulis re-elected in Halifax Citadel-Sable Island". Global News. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
12. "Stephen McNeil shuffles cabinet, but vows not to change course". CBC News. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
13. "N.S. cabinet unveiled: Casey now deputy premier, finance minister". The Chronicle Herald. 15 June 2017. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
14. "New Nova Scotia Premier and Cabinet". Retail Council of Canada. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
15. "Labi Kousoulis steps down as minister, announces candidacy for premier's spot | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
16. "Provincial General Election 2021-08-17- Official Results". Elections Nova Scotia. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.