After the
2021 Nova Scotia general election, provincial NDP leader
Gary Burrill re-appointed Chender as the party's House Leader, a role she had held since 2018. She returned to her role as the spokesperson for Justice and Status of Women as well as the critic for Economic Development and Natural Resources and Renewables. On February 14, 2022, Chender declared her candidacy to replace Burrill as leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (NSNDP). On May 21, 2022 registration closed for the leadership race, with Chender being the sole candidate. Chender was elected leader of the Nova Scotia NDP after a general membership vote on June 25, 2022. She is the third female leader of the NSNDP, following
Alexa McDonough and
Helen MacDonald; fourth leader, if interim leader
Maureen MacDonald is included. In October 2023, Chender was removed from the legislature after challenging Education Minister
Becky Druhan's statement that every student in Nova Scotia had access to food in schools. The government later launched a "pay-what-you-can" school food program. On September 12, 2024, the legislature passed Chender's bill declaring domestic violence an epidemic with all-party support. The bill legislated a recommendation from the Mass Casualty Commission, which investigated the
2020 Nova Scotia attacks. ==Electoral record==