Mi’kmaq chief reunited with missing jacket adorned with honours at Montreal airport

Governor General Mary Simon stands alongside hereditary chief Stephen Augustine of the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick after inducting him into the Order of Canada during a ceremony held on National Indigenous Peoples Day at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

The jacket of a Mi’kmaq hereditary chief, which had gone missing, has been found after an extensive search at Montreal’s airport, where it had been misplaced.

Adorned with a medal marking his membership in the Order of Canada, along with the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, Chief Stephen Augustine’s jacket also reflects his family’s history.

It is a replica of the insignia presented to British Army Captain Henry Dunn O’Halloran by the Mi’kmaq in the 1840s, and it was crafted by one of Chief Augustine’s ancestors.

After losing the unique garment at Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Nov. 10, Augustine issued a public appeal for help finding it.

He told The Canadian Press over the weekend that the jacket is a true treasure, and losing it felt as painful as losing a member of his family.

He added that hearing it had been returned was an enormous relief.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 17, 2025.