Representatives for Inuktut speakers of the country gave the Canadian Heritage committee an earful this week about the government legislation to revitalize and protect Indigenous languages.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation CEO Duane Ningaqsiq Smith echoed sentiments of independent MP Hunter Tootoo that there are no assurances Bill C-91 SA国际影视传媒� An Act Respecting Indigenous Languages will translate into anything meaningful.
SA国际影视传媒淭here is no obligation or requirement of the government of the region to provide any education within the Indigenous languages SA国际影视传媒� we need to get it as a requirement, to work with us to develop some of our own people to become the teachers,SA国际影视传媒� Smith told the committee of parliamentarians. SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e not saying we donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to teach them English or French or anything else, but we do think in our region that Inuktut should be part of the curriculum.SA国际影视传媒�
Introduced at the end of last year by a Liberal government that has made reconciliation with CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 Indigenous people a cornerstone of its administration, Tootoo was the lone MP in the Commons to vote against Bill C-91 at second reading last week. Tootoo said the bill was a nice idea but there was little in the way of concrete action, specifically for Nunavut.
Smith said the IRC wants SA国际影视传媒渂ilateral agreements to further the purposes of the act, rather than leaving it as a mere option,SA国际影视传媒� and took a shot at perceived pork-barrelling in the Northwest Territories, which receives federal transfers yet holds the purse strings for public service expenses, including education delivery in the Western Arctic.
SA国际影视传媒淎s we have observed over the last few decades, funding that is distributed is not distributed in an equitable or even logical fashion,SA国际影视传媒� said Smith. SA国际影视传媒淚t tends to go where the voting populations are greater but the chance of success is weak.SA国际影视传媒�
Obed told the committee that Inuktut is NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 official language SA国际影视传媒� spoken by 84 per cent of the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 population SA国际影视传媒� however, government services including health care, education, policing and even the Canadian Coast Guard do not reflect this, which can contribute to negative outcomes, particularly where public safety is concerned.
SA国际影视传媒淚nuit face consequential linguistic barriers when it comes to accessing public services, especially within the majority Inuktut speaking regions of Nunavut and Nunavik,SA国际影视传媒� said Obed.
SA国际影视传媒淭his problem is particularly acute in law enforcement, where the limited number of Inuktut-speaking officers contributes to under-reporting of violent crime and family violence.SA国际影视传媒�
Earlier Smith told the committee that just 22 per cent of Inuvialuit have conversation ability compared to 38 per cent of Inuktut speakers in Nunavut, where 40 per cent report it as language spoken at home. In terms of funding disparities among language groups in Nunavut, Inuit Tapiriit KanatamiSA国际影视传媒檚 written submission provides eye-opening data.
SA国际影视传媒淯nder the terms of the 2017-2020 Canada-Nunavut Agreement on French Services and Inuktut Language, for example, approximately $8,189 is allocated for each French speaker compared to $186 per Inuktut speaker per year,SA国际影视传媒� according to ITKSA国际影视传媒檚 written submission to the Heritage committee. SA国际影视传媒淣either Bill C-91, as currently drafted, nor any federal policy-maker, has expressed any interest in ensuring that Inuktut, and by extension Inuit, receive the same dignity that English or French Canadians receive within Inuit Nunangat.SA国际影视传媒�
Due in part to InuktutSA国际影视传媒檚 official status in Nunavut SA国际影视传媒� one of three official languages including English and French; in NWT itSA国际影视传媒檚 one of 11 official languages SA国际影视传媒� ITK wants the legislation to include an Inuktut annex. While Smith called the legislation SA国际影视传媒渁 positive startSA国际影视传媒�, he articulated potential issues the federal legislation could have if it becomes law.
SA国际影视传媒淭here are existing laws that recognize Inuktut as official language,SA国际影视传媒� said Smith noting CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 obligations under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement and territorial legislation. SA国际影视传媒淚t will be necessary to re-evaluate the creation of the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages and its role in jurisdictions in NWT and Nunavut that already have a similar office.SA国际影视传媒�
