CHANGING the FACE of POLITICS Nova Scotia has never elected a woman premier — Angela Simmonds and Claudia Chender are both working to change that.
Bruce Murray / VisionFire
BY AMEETA VOHRA
Angela Simmonds (left) and Claudia Chender are running to lead their political parties.
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pproached about running for the Liberals one month before the provincial election in 2021, Angela Simmonds didn’t just have her eyes on a seat in the legislature — she wanted to lead the party. While she was executive director of the Land Titles Initiative, a government initiative to help Black Nova Scotians get clear title of their land, she came to a crossroads. “I was in a position where I could make some changes, but also wasn’t at the top to enforce the changes,” she says. “It’s hard to work within those boundaries and not
be able to create legislation for change. My frustration was that we are building relationships and having conversations, but we’re not changing the minds of people who are developing these policies in other departments.” Simmonds has faced racism and sexism throughout her life. “I remember being followed back to my office, someone closing the door and telling me I should only speak when I’m spoken to — I’m a new lawyer, a woman, and that was not the time for me to speak,” she says. MAY / JUNE 2022 UNRAVEL
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