2 Mi'kmaw candidates seeking seat in Sydney-Victoria

Liberal Jaime Battiste made history in the 2019 federal election when he became the first Mi'kmaw MP elected to the House of Commons.

This time around, Battiste is joined on the ballot in the Cape Breton riding of Sydney-Victoria by New Democrat Jeff Ward, marking what's believed to be another first: two Mi'kmaw candidates running in the same riding.

"Diversity is strength in Canada and having more diverse people that represent Canada leads to a more bold and fuller discussion that is more reflective of actual society in Canada," said Battiste, who lives in Eskasoni with his family.

He said some days were difficult on the doorstep during the 2019 campaign. The riding includes the core of downtown Sydney along with rural towns.

"I was told that Sydney wasn't progressive enough to vote in a Native," he said. "I heard those exact words. And I said, 'You know what? I think it shouldn't matter.'"

As the first Mi'kmaw MP, Battiste said he was often questioned about his priorities.

A balancing act

When he spoke about issues involving Indigenous people, Battiste said he'd be criticized for not representing all of the people in his riding.

"My electorate is 90 per cent non-Mi'kmaw," he said. "So I have to always make sure that I'm balancing what's important for the riding."

Battiste said he feels like he has contributed to breaking the glass ceiling, which has helped bring a second Mi'kmaw candidate to the ballot.

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Ward was born in the Mi'kmaq Nation of Metepenagiag, located along the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. He later moved to Membertou, where he now serves as general manager of the Membertou Heritage Park.

Ward has been involved with several community groups and boards since moving to the area, and said he feels it's his time to run federally.

Ward would like to see people have a better understanding of Indigenous rights and policies, which he said would be a strength he'd bring to Ottawa.

He said treaty education is an important topic, but he believes it often takes a backseat to other national issues like health care and the environment.

"If we teach the history — the real history and not the edited part — it would make a difference in our whole society," he said.

Like Battiste, Ward said he wants to be an MP for the entire riding.

Ward said representation in the House of Commons is important, but he believes a candidate's resume should play a more important role in who voters send to Ottawa.

"We should be past that," he said. "We should be able to say, 'What are the real issues here in Cape Breton?'" 

While Battiste believes more representation makes for better democracy, the incumbent said he was "shocked" to see Ward throw his hat in.

"If we split the Mi'kmaw vote and the Conservatives get in, he's going to have to explain to the Mi'kmaw nation why he decided that he wanted to be the Mi'kmaw MP as opposed to me," Battiste said.

Four candidates vying for seats

In all, there are four candidates vying for the seat in Sydney-Victoria.

Eddie Orrell, a former PC MLA, is once again running for the federal Conservatives. Orrell served as the MLA for Northside-Westmount between 2011 and 2019, when he resigned his seat to run federally.

He lost to Battiste by 1,308 votes in the last election.

Ronald Barron is on the ballot for the People's Party of Canada. His party's website describes Barron as a musician and father of six who works in the mining industry as an industrial mechanic.