Rafah DiCostanzo (born May 2, 1962) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. She was elected to the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

in the 2017 provincial election.

Early life and education

DiCostanzo was born in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. She moved to Great Britain as a teenager and arrived in Canada in 1984. She graduated from

Mount Saint Vincent University Mount Saint Vincent University, often referred to as the Mount, is a public, primarily undergraduate, university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was established in 1873. Mount Saint Vincent offers undergraduate programs in Arts, S ...

in 1988 with a bachelor of arts in modern languages. She has been an Arabic interpreter with Nova Scotia Interpreting Services since 1990.

Personal life

DiCostanzo is married to John DiCostanzo, a lawyer. Dicostanzo has lived in Clayton Park West for over 33 years. DiCostanzo worked for Nova Scotia Interpreting Services and also has experience in banking administration, travel constituency, entrepreneurship and business ownership. DiCostanzo speaks five different languages and has worked as an interpreter for new immigrants and refugees for almost 30 years.

Political career

DiCostanzo is a member of the

Nova Scotia Liberal Party The Nova Scotia Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of Zach ...

. First elected in 2017, DiCostanzo became the first Iraqi-Canadian elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. she has represented the electoral district of

Clayton Park West Clayton Park is a community within Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. History The community of Clayton Park is named after a family that owned property in the area extending up the southern slope of Geizer's Hill. On 12 July 1962, the Clayton Par ...

since 2017. DiCostanzo and other community leaders set up a "Stop Littering Committee" in Clayton Park West and challenged other MLAs to help reduce litter and start a conversation about waste management in their rides. DiCostanzo is currently the Liberal Caucus Chair and vice-Chair of the Community Services Committee, and Chair of the Human Resources Committee, and Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Chair of the Private and Local Bills Committee, and Chair of the Health Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee. DiCostanzo is a member of the Public Accounts, Internal Affairs and Law Amendments Committees. She is also a member of the House of Assembly Management Commission. DiCostanzo was re-elected in the 2021 provincial election.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DiCostanzo, Rafah Interpreters Iraqi emigrants to Canada Iraqi emigrants to the United Kingdom Living people Mount Saint Vincent University alumni Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs Politicians from Baghdad Women MLAs in Nova Scotia 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians 1962 births 21st-century translators