05/13/2025
Canada’s new Minister of Immigration is Lena Metlege Diab, the Member of Parliament for Halifax West. She will now lead Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), succeeding former Immigration Minister Rachel Bendayan.
Lena Metlege Diab brings a wealth of political and legal experience to the immigration file.
She previously served as Nova Scotia’s Minister of Immigration from 2013 to 2021, becoming the first woman of Lebanese descent elected to a legislature in Canada and the first woman to serve as Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Nova Scotia’s history.
As provincial Minister of Immigration, Diab made significant strides in developing Nova Scotia's immigration program, including nominating record numbers of new permanent residents, introducing new immigrant entrepreneur streams, and pioneering the use of Express Entry-aligned pilots for provincial immigration.
In addition to serving as Immigration Minister for her province, Diab also served (often concurrently) as Nova Scotia’s Minister of
-Acadian Affairs and Fracophonie; and
-Labour and Advanced Education.
Born and raised in Halifax to Lebanese immigrant parents, Diab is trilingual (in English, French, and Arabic) and holds degrees in commerce and law from Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University, respectively.
Prior to entering politics, she practiced law and was a small business owner in Halifax. Diab has remained deeply involved in the Lebanese Canadian community, having served for seven terms as president of the Canadian-Lebanon Society of Halifax. She was the Society's first female president.
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