Speaking in front of chiefs, councillors and supporters Thursday morning, Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste said he has officially submitted his application to run as the first Indigenous candidate for leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Battiste was elected in the riding of Sydney-Victoria in Cape Breton in 2019, becoming the first Mi’kmaw MP.
He recently launched an exploratory team for a campaign to become the next leader of the federal Liberals in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation.
In a meeting with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs in Dartmouth, N.S., Battiste said he’s chosen to run as Liberal leader because he was encouraged to do so by Indigenous leaders across Canada and because he believes in Liberal policies.
“I believe in the National Food Program, I believe in affordable child care, I believe in dental care, I believe in pharmacare, because I believe Canadians truly care for these policies, these supports for Canadians all across our country. If the Conservatives come in, these are all in jeopardy,” said Battiste during the meeting.
“I believe we have unfinished business for a shared dream in our country that my Liberal colleagues and I want to ensure for all Canadians. And I have a balanced vision for Canada focusing on quality of life, sustainable growth, and advancing reconciliation. We can’t afford to go backwards with reckless Conservative cuts that value profits over people.”
Battiste said Canada is fundamentally built on three main values: peace, friendship and kindness.
“It most certainly is not broken as Conservative leaders would have you believe. And I’m here to tell Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives that you can’t cut your way to prosperity, and you can’t pollute your way to a better planet,” he said.
If his goal of becoming the next federal Liberal leader doesn’t work out, Battiste said he still plans to run as a Liberal candidate in the next federal election.
“Absolutely. If they’ll have me, and I think they will,” he said.
Political scientist Tom Urbaniak said Battiste might have a hard time holding onto his seat come election time.
“Sydney-Glace Bay will be a tough race for Jaime Battiste in the next election,” Urbaniak said. “At this moment, there is hardly any safe Liberal seat in Canada.”
Polling numbers from 338Canada show Battiste currently trailing Conservative candidate Anna Manley in the riding.
“I’ve never been picked to be the winner, so if they keep betting against me, I’ll let them,” Battiste said.
Membertou First Nation Chief Terry Paul shared his support for Battiste, saying Indigenous people need to have their rights established and implemented by one of their own.
“Our rights are more than a special interest group. We are a nation, and we need the Government of Canada, the people that make the decisions, to talk to us as a nation,” said Paul.
“That’s the level that we want to talk to the government. Because we have territorial sovereignty in this area – the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet, and the Passamaquoddy – and we are working together to ensure that the government has this at the top of mind when we talk about the issues this country is facing.”
Battiste says he’s proud to take these first steps, even if it’s just to pave the way for future generations.
“To think that Indigenous people have only had the right to vote since 1960 and only 65 years later we have a chance at an Indigenous prime minister,” he said. “But there’s a lot of work to do and I’m telling people we need your help. We’re not done by a long shot. This is just the first hurdle that we got to today but I’m going to keep going. I’m going to keep fighting.”
Thursday is the deadline to meet the criteria for candidacy and submit the $350,000 leadership race entry fee.
Battiste said he already has the first installment of $50,000.
The Liberal Party will pick its next leader on March 9.
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