Advertisement

First Mi’kmaw MP asks question in his language in House of Commons

Click to play video: 'Liberal MP asks question in Mi’kmaw language in House of Commons'
Liberal MP asks question in Mi’kmaw language in House of Commons
Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, the country's first Mi'kmaw member of Parliament, asked his first question in the House of Commons on Thursday in his own language. – Dec 13, 2019

Canada’s first Mi’kmaw MP made history on Thursday as he used his language in Canada’s House of Commons.

Jaime Battiste, Liberal MP for Sydney-Victoria in Nova Scotia, used his first statement in the House to speak the Mi’kmaq language.

He asked Marc Miller, minister of Indigenous services, about the government’s support for Indigenous languages and implementing the Indigenous Languages Act.

Miller responded in Mi’kmaq, thanking Battiste for his question and replying that the government will contribute $337 million over the next five years for Indigenous languages.

The Indigenous Languages Act was introduced earlier this year as a collaboration between the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Assembly of First Nations and the Métis Nation. It’s meant to help protect and promote Indigenous languages.

Story continues below advertisement

Battiste was born in Sydney and grew up on Cape Breton’s Chapel Island 5 reserve, now known as the Potlotek First Nation. He graduated from Dalhousie University’s law school in 2004 and has served as chairman of the Assembly of First Nations Youth Council and as a regional chief with the Assembly of First Nations.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Battiste is also known for his work with the Mi’kmaq education authority.

Click to play video: 'Mi’kmaw History Month'
Mi’kmaw History Month

Battiste’s bid for public office was almost derailed when a series of racist, sexist and homophobic posts on his Twitter account surfaced.

The tweets, all about seven or eight years old, included a reference to Battiste’s desire to find a woman to take care of his “cleaning, folding, cooking.”

Another tweet mocked the broken English of Chinese waiters in a scene from the film A Christmas Story.

Story continues below advertisement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the posts as unacceptable and Battiste issued an apology about his “crude jokes.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices