Sydney—Victoria

Sydney—Victoria encompasses the urban core of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the rural expanses of Victoria County on the northern tip of Cape Breton Island. Major communities include Sydney, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Membertou First Nation, and the village of Baddeck. Sydney had a 2021 census population of approximately 31,000, while Victoria County had roughly 7,400 residents. The total riding population was approximately 73,000.

Candidates

Jaime Battiste (Liberal) was the incumbent, first elected in 2019 as the first Mi’kmaw member of Parliament in Canadian history. Born in Sydney and raised on the Potlotek First Nation (Chapel Island), Battiste earned a Juris Doctor from the Schulich School of Law and a degree in Mi’kmaq Studies from Cape Breton University. He is the son of Dr. Marie Battiste and Indigenous lawyer Sakej Henderson, both recognized for their contributions to Indigenous education and justice. Before entering politics, Battiste served as a university professor, Treaty Education Lead, and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief. He is a fluent Mi’kmaw speaker and was the first parliamentarian to speak Mi’kmaw in the House of Commons.

Eddie Orrell (Conservative) was born in 1965 and worked as a physiotherapist with the Nova Scotia Health Authority for 24 years before entering politics. He represented Northside-Westmount in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2011 to 2019 as a Progressive Conservative, winning three consecutive provincial elections. He resigned his provincial seat in 2019 to run federally and was making his second consecutive attempt at the Sydney—Victoria seat.

Jeff Ward (NDP) was a Mi’kmaw candidate originally from the Metepenagiag First Nation along the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, who had moved to Membertou. He served as general manager of the Membertou Heritage Park and had previously been director of the Eskasoni Crisis Centre. His candidacy marked what was believed to be a first: two Mi’kmaw candidates competing in the same federal riding.

Ronald Angus Barron (PPC) ran for the People’s Party of Canada.

Mark Embrett (Green Party) represented the Green Party.

Nikki Boisvert (Marxist-Leninist) ran for the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist).

About the Riding

Sydney—Victoria is defined by the contrast between Cape Breton’s post-industrial urban core and the rugged beauty of the Cape Breton Highlands. Sydney, once a thriving steel city, has undergone decades of economic restructuring since the closure of the Sydney Steel plant and the Devco coal mines. The Sydney Tar Ponds, once one of Canada’s most contaminated sites, underwent a $400-million remediation project completed in 2013 and has been transformed into Open Hearth Park.

The riding is home to several important institutions: Cape Breton University (enrollment of roughly 5,400), the Nova Scotia Community College Marconi campus, and the Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney. Membertou First Nation, located within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, has become a nationally recognized model of Indigenous economic development, with business enterprises generating over $100 million in annual revenues.

Victoria County, to the north, features the Cape Breton Highlands and portions of the Cabot Trail, drawing tourists from around the world. Baddeck, on the shores of Bras d’Or Lake, is the site of the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. The Bras d’Or Lake itself was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

In 2021, healthcare access was the dominant issue, with Cape Breton facing severe physician and nurse shortages and frequent emergency-room closures. Population decline—the riding lost roughly 1,000 residents between census periods—out-migration of young people, and the need for economic diversification were persistent concerns. Indigenous treaty rights and reconciliation were also prominent issues, given the riding’s significant Mi’kmaw population across several communities including Membertou, Eskasoni (in the adjacent riding), Wagmatcook, and Potlotek.