Cape Breton MP loses court challenge to stop changes to electoral boundary

Sydney-Victoria Liberal MP Jaime Battiste has lost his bid to retain his old riding boundaries.

Last year, a federal electoral boundaries commission proposed redrawing the district to take Eskasoni and Wagmatcook First Nations out of the riding and rename it Sydney-Glace Bay. 

The rest of Cape Breton Island was already joined with parts of Guysborough County in the Cape Breton-Canso riding, but with the addition of Antigonish County, it will be renamed Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish.

Battiste posted a letter on his Facebook page on Friday afternoon, saying his court challenge of the proposed Sydney-Victoria boundary changes was unsuccessful.  

The new riding of Sydney-Glace Bay will have about 10,000 more people than the existing electoral district, with a population total of just over 82,000.

The two-term MP, who was first elected in 2019 and has a law degree from Dalhousie University, lives on reserve in Eskasoni and has been a treaty adviser to Mi'kmaw First Nations.

In his court challenge, Battiste said boundary changes that take Eskasoni out of the riding are unconstitutional and go against treaty rights and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On Friday, Battiste said he intends to run for the Liberals in the new riding of Sydney-Glace Bay, which he said still contains about three-quarters of the constituents from the existing district.

Liberal MP Mike Kelloway currently represents Cape Breton-Canso and is expected to run in the new riding of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish.

Boundary changes across Canada are expected to take effect for the next general election.

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