Candace Thomas describes her career path as circuitous but says “the law has been the thread” weaving it together, leading to her current position as vice president, legal, general counsel and corporate secretary for Nova Scotia Health.
Originally from East Preston, one of Nova Scotia’s 52 historic African Nova Scotian communities, Candace didn’t need to look far for Black role models. “I had a very strong mother who raised a large family alone after being widowed at a young age. I saw what she did with very little, how hard she worked, how much she gave to community and others – like hosting international university students for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and what she was able to achieve despite the challenges in her life.” Candace also considers her sister, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, a mentor, “for everything she’s been in my life.”
The law has always fascinated Candace because “it impacts every aspect of society and life, whether we realize it or not.”
When Candace graduated from law school, she knew she wanted to article in a full-service law firm. “Twenty-five years ago, there weren’t many Black people, let alone Black women, in law firms,” she remembers. That articling experience in Ottawa confirmed Candace’s desire to work in this setting when she returned home, and she proceeded to practise in the Nova Scotia office of a leading regional law firm for many years.
As Candace progressed in her career, she realized she wanted to shift professionally, to “give back to community in a different way.” When she was appointed Nova Scotia’s deputy minister of Justice and deputy Attorney General in April 2020, “I knew I was doing something that aligned with my core values in serving the public.”
When the opportunity at Nova Scotia Health came up in 2024, Candace remembers thinking, “That’s the next place I could do some good.”
Similar to other corporate roles, the portfolios Candace leads – legal services, the policy office and the privacy office – “underpin all of the work that happens throughout Nova Scotia Health.” As corporate secretary, Candace also supports interim president and CEO Karen Oldfield and administrator Chris Power on matters related to system-wide governance.
Candace considers herself a compassionate, results-oriented leader who expects excellence from her teams and herself. “As a leader it’s important to care about the people you work with and work for, and you also have to get things done, and done well.”
Candace is passionate about the power of education to enable opportunity. “There’s a basic level of literacy that everyone deserves,” she says, adding that this includes financial literacy and the ability to achieve a decent standard of living. “Higher education is the key to help get us where we want to go, to be able to dream and pursue those dreams…. It can take you along a path you didn’t even expect.”
That’s why Candace volunteered on the board of governors of Dalhousie University and currently serves on the board of The Africadian Empowerment Academy Society, to support people of all ages as they pursue their aspirations in the skilled trades. She’s inspired by the many Black youth who are “owning their space in law, education, business, health and other sectors, helping all Nova Scotians and beyond in the work that they’re doing.”
As Candace reflects on her African Nova Scotian heritage, she notes with pride that Nova Scotia is the birthplace of African presence in Canada. She adds that although Nova Scotia’s first African residents “were intentionally segregated outside the urban areas, where maybe you’d think we wouldn’t survive, we did. We survived and thrived.”
Wherever the thread of law has taken her and will take her in the future, Candace says it’s important to “never forget where I came from, where I get my empathy, fair mindedness, strong work ethic and drive to make a positive difference.”
Photo of vice president, legal, general counsel and corporate secretary Candace Thomas.
