Jaime Battiste
- Born
- October 18, 1979
- Education
- Degree in Mi’kmaq studies from Cape Breton University; Juris Doctor from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University
- Career
- Co-chair of the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council; AFN regional chief; Member of the Content Advisory Committee for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Political Experience
- Elected as member of Parliament for Sydney—Victoria in 2019; Chair of Liberal Indigenous Caucus in 2019; Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations (2021-present)
- Notable
- First Mi'kmaw member of Parliament (MP) in Canada; Negotiated the memorandum of understanding that established treaty education in Nova Scotia; Awarded the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers in 2017; His band, 2nd Generation, won an East Coast Music Award in 2024
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before entering politics, Jaime Battiste had a career in law and education. He is a lawyer who worked as a legal advisor for the Mi'kmaq Grand Council and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs. He also served as the Treaty Education Lead for the province of Nova Scotia. Additionally, he has worked as a professor at Cape Breton University, focusing on Mi'kmaq studies.
Key Relationships & Connections
Jaime Battiste's parents, Marie Battiste and James (Sakej) Youngblood Henderson, are nationally recognized Indigenous scholars and educators who have made significant contributions to Indigenous law and education in Canada. He is a member of the Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia.
Public Controversies
During the 2019 federal election campaign, past social media posts made by Jaime Battiste surfaced and drew criticism. The posts, made several years earlier, were described as containing racist, sexist, and homophobic comments. At the same time, reports emerged about a 2017 peace bond application filed against him which included an allegation of domestic violence; the allegation was later withdrawn and the peace bond was dismissed. Battiste issued a public apology for his past comments, stating they were offensive and that he had learned from his mistakes. The Liberal Party supported him, and he was elected.
Where Jaime falls on key policy spectrums
Your Money
People & Society
How We're Governed
Land & Community
Jaime Battiste won with 24,908 votes (51.6%)
Total votes cast: 48,278
How does Jaime Battiste's voting record line up with your values?
Thank you. Mr. Chair, I have no further questions.
Okay. Thank you. Just picking up on some of the conversation in the room, you're absolutely happy with the way this legislation is written and you need no changes. We can go through it line by line in an efficient and speedy process, get this through the House and get to the celebration.
For all the other communities that are looking at this process and saying, “Wow, it's great that they're getting this done”, what best practices would you recommend for other nations wanting to go down this route with our government? What are two or three key things that you think we should be sharing with other nations going down this route as well?
You might as well give us something.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, President and Mr. Tan. I know five minutes isn't really a long time to go over the history of how this legislation and how this agreement has come to be. Can you take us back to the first steps, when your nation's communities decided it was important to pursue a self-government agreement as opposed to what's currently in place, and why you believe this would be