Jaime Battiste facts for kids

Jaime Battiste MP (born 1979) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Sydney—Victoria in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party in the 2019 Canadian federal election. He is the first Mi'kmaw Member of Parliament in Canada.

Background

Battiste is the son of Chickasaw legal scholar James (Sákéj) Youngblood Henderson and Miꞌkmaq scholar Marie Battiste. Both, James, and Marie, have won Indspire awards for their contributions to justice and education in Canada.

Battiste spent his formative years in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, graduating from Evan Hardy Collegiate in 1997.

From 2005-2006, Battiste served as Co-Chair of the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council.

Battiste was a member of the Content Advisory Committee for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Battiste is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School.

Battiste was responsible for negotiating the memorandum of understanding that established treaty education in Nova Scotia.

In 2017, Battiste was awarded the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.

As a musician, his band, 2nd Generation, has been nominated for multiple awards and won an East Coast Music Award in 2024.

Political career

In April 2019, Battiste announced he was seeking the Liberal nomination in Sydney—Victoria for the 2019 federal election. He won the nomination on July 13, 2019. He faced calls for his removal as a candidate after alleged controversial social media posts came to light.

On October 21, 2019, Battiste was elected as the Member of Parliament in Sydney—Victoria becoming the first Mi'kmaq Member of Parliament.

Battiste was elected as Chair of Liberal Indigenous Caucus in 2019 and has focused on increasing investment in Indigenous communities, in addition to the continued advancement of reconciliation.

Battiste has focused on environmental advocacy, with the passage of a private member’s motion, M-35.

On December 3, 2021, Battiste was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

During his second term, Battiste has advocated for the elimination of the Second Generation Cut-Off under the Indian Act.

In a press conference in September 2024, Battiste described Atlantic Canadians as "EI kind of folks" after he was asked about the declining poll numbers for the Liberal Party. He later apologized for his remarks in a post on social media.

Battiste will seek re-election in the 2025 Canadian federal election in the newly formed Sydney—Glace Bay.

He is a candidate in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, upon the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He is the first Indigenous person to run for leader.

Electoral record