By Drake Lowthers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate When Jaime Battiste stood in the House of Commons for the first time, history was made. In 2019, the then Liberal MP for Sydney–Victoria became the first Mi’kmaq person, and the first Indigenous person, ever elected to Canada’s Parliament. Now serving Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish his inaugural victory was more than a political milestone – it was a moment of profound recognition for the Mi’kmaq people, who have lived on these lands for thousands of years, and for Indigenous communities across the country who continue to push for visibility, justice, and self-determination. Battiste’s journey to Ottawa was shaped long before his name appeared on a ballot. The son of celebrated Indigenous scholar Marie Battiste and the late Sákéj Henderson, a renowned Mi’kmaq legal…
Register
