After her recent appointment as Canada’s Immigration Minister, we recap Lena Metlege Diab’s path and unique strengths in this critical federal role.
When Lena Metlege Diab welcomed the first Syrian refugee family at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in 2015, few could have predicted that less than a decade later she would be overseeing immigration policy for the entire nation. Her recent appointment as Canada’s Immigration Minister marks a fitting new chapter for someone who has spent decades serving immigrants in Nova Scotia.
Born in Halifax to Lebanese immigrants, Diab’s own life story embodies the immigrant experience that now falls under her ministerial portfolio. At age two, her family returned to Lebanon’s Diman region, only to flee the Lebanese Civil War in 1976 when she was 11 years old.
A Personal Connection to Immigration
“It’s great to be able to relate and understand what people have gone through that left their homes, their countries, their life to come to another land where they don’t speak the language, don’t have jobs, don’t know what’s going to happen in the next month or two,”
Diab told My Halifax Experience in 2016.
This personal understanding—coupled with her trilingual abilities in English, French, and Arabic—positioned her uniquely for immigration work long before her federal appointment. As Nova Scotia’s Immigration Minister from 2013 to 2021, she demonstrated her commitment to newcomers while making significant policy advancements, including a significant victory securing a 300-person increase in the provincial nominee program in 2016 which raised the cap for newcomers at the time. It also highlights her effectiveness in negotiation—a skill that should serve well in her new federal position.
Aside from her political achievements, Diab has consistently maintained deep community connections, including seven terms as president of the Canadian Lebanon Society of Halifax and extensive volunteer work throughout Nova Scotia.
A Legal Mind with Community Roots
Before entering politics, Diab practiced law for over two decades, becoming a partner at Noseworthy Di Costanzo Diab Law in 2005. Her former law partner, John Di Costanzo, described her as particularly skilled in dispute resolution.
“She focused on trying to get people to agree on issues. That was always her main goal,” Di Costanzo told us in 2016. “She understands what kind of contribution [immigrants] make.”
Given the current tension around federal immigration policy, specifically around population growth and labour targets, it’s no surprise that negotiation and dispute resolution are highly valued assets for a cabinet minister tasked with this portfolio.
Family as Foundation
Throughout her career progression, Diab has consistently identified family as her central motivation. It was concern for her children’s futures that initially inspired her political career, as she saw immigrants and newcomers deciding to move on and settle elsewhere in the country.
“I was seeing some of their friends who they’d grown up with looking outside of Nova Scotia for jobs or what they perceived to be better opportunities,” she recalled.
As the eldest of six children and mother of four, she explained in 2016: “Everything I do stems from the fact I’m a mother and now a grandmother, and that’s why I feel I need to do as good a job as I can possibly do to affect positive change in this province for children and grandchildren.”
Looking Forward: National Challenges and Opportunities
As Minister Diab steps onto the national stage, she inherits a challenging immigration landscape. Canada continues to balance ambitious population targets with integration challenges, housing pressures, and varying provincial needs. Her experience bridging cultural divides and navigating multiple levels of government positions her well for these challenges.
Immigration experts expect Diab to reduce barriers for temporary foreign workers and international students in Canada to obtain permanent residency, in accordance with the government’s current priorities.
As she takes on this prominent federal role, Minister Diab carries with her not just policy expertise but lived experience that few in her position can claim, potentially creating the perfect conditions for a uniquely informed approach to Canada’s immigration future.
For newcomers hoping to find success in Canada, Minister Diab offered enduring advice in our 2016 interview that remains relevant today: get involved through volunteering. “There’s no price tag to feeling like you belong,” she said.
“These are the things that bring people together, regardless of language, regardless of anything that could divide us.”
