Jaime Battiste is a member of the Eskasoni First Nation, and was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Sydney—Victoria in 2019, was subsequently re-elected in Sydney—Victoria in 2021, and in Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish in 2025. He is the first Mi’kmaq to be elected to Parliament.

Deep involvement in his community has been a priority for Jaime, both personally and professionally – he has previously held positions as a university professor, Treaty Education Lead, and Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Chief. In 2005, the National Aboriginal Health Organization named him as one of the “National Aboriginal Role Models in Canada”. In 2006, as Chair of the AFN’s Youth Council, he was one of the founding members of the Mi’kmaq Maliseet Atlantic Youth Council (MMAYC), an organization that represents and advocates for Mi’kmaq and Maliseet youth within Atlantic Canada.

For Jaime, volunteer work over the years has involved athletics, youth advocacy, community events, and advocacy for the Mi’kmaq Nation, of which he is a member. In 2018, he was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, which recognizes the significant and sustained contributions of Canadians to their community.

In 2019, Jaime was elected as Chair of Liberal Indigenous Caucus, and has focused on increasing investment in Indigenous communities, in addition to the continued advancement of reconciliation.

During his time as Member of Parliament, Jaime has served on various parliamentary committees, including the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, where he has helped review, examine, and report on the issues affecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and Northerners.  He is a fluent Mi’kmaw speaker and was the first parliamentarian to speak Mi’kmaw in the House of Commons.

Jaime is a musician, a recording artist, and a founder of the Mi’kmaw Music Showcase that features and promotes songs in the Mi’kmaw language. He is additionally an East Coast Music Award (ECMA) winner in 2024, with his band 2nd Generation.