Jaime Youngmedicine Battiste^[a]MP (born October 18, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has been a member of theHouse of Commons of Canada as a member of theLiberal Party since 2019. A member of theEskasoni First Nation, he is the firstMi'kmawmember of Parliament (MP) in Canada.

Battiste is the son ofChickasaw legal scholarJames (Sákéj) Youngblood Henderson andMiꞌkmaq scholarMarie Battiste,^[3] both recipients ofIndspire Awards.^[4][5] He is a member of theEskasoni First Nation.^[6]

Battiste spent his formative years inSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, graduating fromEvan Hardy Collegiate in 1997.^{[citation needed]} He holds a degree in Mi’kmaq studies fromCape Breton University and a Juris Doctor from theSchulich School of Law atDalhousie University.^[7]

From 2005 to 2006, Battiste served as co-chair of theAssembly of First Nations National Youth Council.^{[citation needed]} He is also a former AFN regional chief.^[6]

Battiste was a member of the Content Advisory Committee for theCanadian Museum for Human Rights.^{[citation needed]}

Battiste was responsible for negotiating the memorandum of understanding that established treaty education in Nova Scotia.^[8]

In April 2019, Battiste announced he was seeking theLiberal nomination inSydney—Victoria for the2019 federal election.^[9] He won the nomination on July 13, 2019.^[10] He faced calls for his removal as a candidate after controversial social media posts came to light.^[11]

On October 21, 2019, Battiste was elected as themember of Parliament (MP) in Sydney—Victoria becoming the first Mi'kmaq MP.^[12][13][14]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Battiste has focused on environmental advocacy, with the passage of a private member's motion, M-35.^[15]

On December 3, 2021, Battiste was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to theMinister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.^[16]

During his second term, Battiste has advocated for the elimination of the Second Generation Cut-Off under the Indian Act.^[17]

In a press conference in September 2024, Battiste described Atlantic Canadians as "progressive ... kind of meat and potatoes, fisheries,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.^[18]

Battiste won re-election in the2025 Canadian federal election in the riding ofCape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, defeating former deputy premierAllan MacMaster.^[19]

Battiste entered the2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, becoming the first Indigenous person to run for leader of the party.^[20][21][22] He announced his intention to run on January 13 and his registration was approved by the party's leadership vote committee. On January 30, he withdrew and endorsed former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governorMark Carney.^[6]

On June 5, 2025Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Battiste as theParliamentary Secretary to theMinister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.^[23]

In 2017, Battiste was awarded the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.^[24]

As a musician, his band, 2nd Generation, has been nominated for multiple awards and won an East Coast Music Award in 2024.^[25]

• Jaime Battiste – Parliament of Canada biography

• 1979 births
• Living people
• 21st-century First Nations people
• 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
• Chickasaw people
• Eskasoni First Nation people
• Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada
• Lawyers in Nova Scotia
• Liberal Party of Canada MPs
• Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia
• Schulich School of Law alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use Canadian English from January 2023
• All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English
• Use mdy dates from May 2022
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• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2025