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OTTAWA — Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste announced Monday that he wants to become the Liberal Party of Canada’s next leader and the country’s first Indigenous prime minister.
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The MP for Sydney-Victoria in Cape Breton was first elected in 2019 and says he’s been receiving an “outpouring of support” from Indigenous leaders and other Canadians encouraging him to run for the party’s leadership.
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“I’ve heard your voice, and with your help, I’m interested,” Battiste said in a statement on Facebook.
“I am laying the groundwork for an exploratory team that will seek to launch the first campaign by an Indigenous candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, and to be the next Prime Minister of Canada.”
Battiste was the first Mi’kmaw person elected to the House of Commons and has served as chair of the Liberal Indigenous caucus for the past several years.
Most recently, he has advocated for the House of Commons to pass a government bill meant to ensure First Nations have clean drinking water, which has been a signature pledge of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government since he swept to power in 2015.
Battiste found himself on the receiving end of criticism for a comment he made last summer suggesting those living in Atlantic Canada, where the Liberals have been badly trailing the Opposition Conservatives, were “EI kind of folks.” He later he said his comments were “misinterpreted.”
As an MP who has had a relatively low profile among Canadians and Liberals, Battiste says he knows the challenge that lies before him, with the deadline for candidates to register set for January 23.
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Neither he nor his office have returned a request for comment.
The party has set the entrance fee for candidates at $350,000, which would be paid in installments. Officials have not announced the specific dates of when the cash will be due, with spokesman Parker Lund saying it would be determined by a committee.
Battiste said in his statement he knows his plan is “ambitious.”
“I am fully aware of the complexity of raising $350,000 over the next 12 days.”
“However,” he adds, “I do have a plan. But before I talk about the how — I want to talk about the why.”
He went on to ask prospective supporters to register and consider supporting his campaign, evoking the names of past and current leaders who made history themselves.
“Before there was a (Manitoba) Premier Wab Kinew, there had to be an Elijah Harper. Before there was a President Barack Obama, there had to be a Jesse Jackson,” Battiste said.
“There must always be people willing to try, and there must always be people willing to take the first steps — even if their journey is one meant to pave the wave for future generations.”
Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation last Monday, Indigenous leaders have thanked him for his commitment to reconciliation and urged Liberal leadership hopefuls to prioritize it.
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