Rochelle Heudes, the Liberal candidate in the Richmond riding, spoke with Civic Journalist Jake Boudrot about her military background, the decision to enter provincial politics, and the key issues she sees facing the Acadian community, which includes all of the Municipality of the County of Richmond.

When the Liberals announced Heudes as their candidate, they highlighted her 30 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her career included leadership roles such as Commanding Officer of the Health Services Centres in Halifax and Trenton, deployments to Belgium, Haiti, Croatia, and Bosnia, and two postings with the Special Forces.

“I believe that every post I’ve had has given me the tools and experience to be a leader,” she said.

After retiring from the military, Heudes returned to her hometown of Alderney Point and became the Human Resources Coordinator for the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial.

Beyond her work with the Acadian school board, Heudes is deeply involved in the community. She serves as President of Centre La Picasse and the Petit-de-Grat Acadian Festival, is an active board member for La Fédération Acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse and the Angel Fund, and acts as an advisor for La Fédération des Femmes Francophones de la Nouvelle-Écosse.

In her candidacy announcement, Heudes emphasized the importance of inclusivity and the need to represent all communities in Richmond County. The Liberals also described her as a strong advocate for mental health awareness.

“In Richmond, there’s a lot of work to be done for mental health awareness,” she said. “One of the big things is we need to increase services.”

Heudes explained her decision to run provincially, highlighting the alignment between her values and the Liberal Party’s platform. She identified health care, cellular phone service, and transportation infrastructure as the major issues facing the riding.

If elected, Heudes said her priorities would focus on addressing these challenges during her first term as an MLA. She also spoke about her experience connecting with residents through door-to-door campaigning.