Halifax is taking the first steps toward designating a Mi’kmaq seat on its municipal council. 

Councillor Waye Mason says the move is something that’s been in discussion for years after hearing from First Nations in the Halifax area that a Mi’kmaq representative should be added to council.

On Monday, the Halifax Regional Municipality’s executive standing committee recommended that council vote on a proposal to ask the provincial government for a change to its charter to allow for a new designated seat.

Mason says he expects council will approve making a formal request to the province, and he hopes the legislature could change the charter as early as next spring.

From there, Mason says the plan would be to conduct consultations with Indigenous leaders, including the three First Nations within the Halifax Regional Municipality, in order to establish a plan for how voting and candidacy for the seat would work.

Chiefs from Acadia, Sipekne’katik and Millbrook First Nations were not immediately available for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2023.

The Canadian Press