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peace bond application filed against him which included an allegation of domestic violence; the allegation was later withdrawn and the peace bond was dismissed.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?
Mr. Speaker, I respect that member, and I want to respectfully say that I have heard a lot of Conservatives get up and pretend they know something about aboriginal litigation. As someone who taught aboriginal and treaty rights law at university, I have heard some of these arguments. When a court case comes to the Supreme Court of Canada, many intervenors will come in with many different
Mr. Speaker, I question some of the logic in the member's speech. I understand that these are concerns that his constituents have brought up, but aboriginal title has been recognized in Canada since 1973. There was the Delgamuukw case in 1997, and three or four different aboriginal title cases have been recognized in British Columbia. Can the member opposite point to a single time when someone
Mr. Speaker, truthfully, when I go across this country, I hear chiefs and leaders talking about justice. They talk about the rights that they had, the title and the resources, and they just want their fair share. They are not asking for anything over and above what Canadians receive. They want to be part of a system. They want to be a part of growing. They have these rights, recognized by section
Mr. Speaker, I think that this determination needs to go through the court system. When we have things that are before the courts, we have an independent judiciary. It is really important that, when it comes to the law, we have the application of those facts in law done in independent ways.
Richmond East—Steveston Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for. I want to take a few minutes today to separate fact from fiction. Right now, when it comes to aboriginal title in this country, there is a lot of confusion. That confusion fuels concern and, in some cases, misinformation is making it worse. Let me be very clear from the outset: Some of the anxiety Canadians are
Mr. Speaker, I would invite the member to look at every single aboriginal title litigation or every section 35 case. There are things called intervenors. The Conservative Party of Canada could actually apply to be an intervenor, since it has all the answers when it comes to litigating first nations rights. I doubt it would be granted, because the Supreme Court looks at rational and reasonable
Star Trek Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the opportunity to talk about what the capabilities would be in Nova Scotia in the future with this spaceport. As a big fan ofgrowing up, I always wanted to say that Canada is going to boldly go where no man has gone before. With this technology and with this investment, our riding and our province have the ability to lead, and I look forward to being