Jaime Battiste first Indigenous candidate to join Liberal leadership race

OTTAWA-(CP)Jaime Battiste says that if he can’t be the most powerful and wealthy candidate in the race for the Liberal party leadership, he hopes to be the most interesting. The MP for Sydney-Victoria is the only First Nations candidate to state his intention to join the leadership race so far. Battiste, who serves as chair of the Liberal party’s Indigenous caucus, says reforming the First Nations child welfare system and ensuring adequate funding for First Nations police services would be his top priorities as a leadership candidate. But the Mi’kmaw MP, who grew up in Eskasoni First Nation, says his focus wouldn’t be squarely on Indigenous issues, adding he also thinks Canadians want to see a marked change in environmental policy and in how the country responds to emergencies like…

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