Inuktut is a step closer to being included on election ballots in Nunavut following a two-year battle by Nunavut MP Lori Idlout to pass a private memberSA国际影视传媒檚 bill.

The proposed legislation was recently accepted by the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) and must now gain Senate approval. 

Idlout said she welcomed the "long overdue decision" by the committee to recommend a trial run of Inuit languages on the ballot in Nunavut.

SA国际影视传媒淒uring both, my numerous appearances at committee and as a witness, I stressed the importance of reflecting the languages we speak on our land and improving access for Inuit," the MP said. "When I was first elected, I made it a priority to fight for this change to make elections more accessible after decades of Liberals and Conservatives neglecting Inuit languages and making it harder to vote as two-thirds of Nunavummiut mother language is Inuktut. As first peoples in the Arctic, it was unacceptable that Inuit were neglected and that both Conservative and Liberal governments didn't seem to care to act."

Premier P.J. Akeeagok also hailed the decision, calling it "an important step in bringing democracy closer to home for Nunavummiut, especially as Inuktut is the mother tongue for the vast majority of our population."

"I want to commend our MP, Lori Idlout, for her efforts in this regard and hope that the initiative is expanded for all future elections," said Akeeagok. "Preserving, protecting and promoting our language is integral to any efforts towards reconciliation with Nunavut Inuit.SA国际影视传媒�

Originally submitted in 2022, the Procedure and House Affairs Committee approved the recommendations after the bill was presented to the House on Dec. 2.

Nunavut languages commissioner Karliin Aariak pointed out that the Inuit Language Protection Act (ILPA) requires the use of Inuktut in public signs, posters, reception and client services.

"The ILPA applies to federal agencies, departments and institutions. Despite this, Elections Canada has failed to implement its Inuit language obligations to comply with the ILPA," she stated. 

Aariak took the federal government to task in 2022 for failing to endorse Inuktut on ballots in Nunavut. 

SA国际影视传媒淭here is no reason for the Government of Canada to adhere to a lesser standard,SA国际影视传媒� Aariak said in her 2022 opening statement to the House of Commons committee on the issue. SA国际影视传媒淚t is imperative for federal agencies, departments and institutions, such as Elections Canada, to commit to taking all necessary steps for the usage, preservation, revitalization and promotion of the Inuit language in Nunavut.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淎t a minimum,SA国际影视传媒� she continued, SA国际影视传媒渢he United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) requires Canada to ensure that interpretation is available to electors who prefer to use Inuktut when casting their ballot. However, the secrecy of the vote will be compromised if we rely solely on interpretation services to facilitate an electorSA国际影视传媒檚 participation in the democratic process.

SA国际影视传媒淭his is especially true of small fly-in communities where Inuit electors could have concerns about others knowing how they voted. This is why it is vital to use interpretation services only when strictly necessary and when there are no other options. In this case, there is a clearly viable option of using Inuktut on ballots in federal elections, just as it is used in municipal and territorial elections across Nunavut."

Aariak noted that her office had advised Elections Canada of its ILPA obligations since Nunavummiut had filed five concerns, which she said attracted "significant media attentionSA国际影视传媒� at the time.

These complaints included how Inuktut was missing on posters directing voters where to vote during advance polls; the dates and hours of operation for advance polling were not available in Inuktitut; information at the advance polling stations and information regarding special ballot instructions were not available in Inuktitut; and the name Elections Canada was not provided in Inuktut on the voter information card.

AariakSA国际影视传媒檚 office put forward three recommendations to rectify the situation: amend the Canada Elections Act to include both Roman orthography (Qaliujaaqpait) and Inuktitut syllabics on federal election ballots; amend the Canada Elections Act to use Inuit language text in Elections Canada public signs and posters and ensure it is at least as prominent as English and French; create and implement a policy and procedure, specific to Nunavut, to ensure that Elections Canada complies with its obligations, as set out in the ILPA.

Earlier this month, the PROC concluded that "this proposal may allow a greater number of electors in Nunavut to exercise their constitutional right to vote, while offering sufficient guarantees to preserve the integrity of the vote."