The federal Treasury Board says it has no plans to expand a bonus SA国际影视传媒� now paid to employees who speak English and French SA国际影视传媒� to those who know an Indigenous language.

The bilingualism bonus is an extra $800 employees receive a year if they work in a position designated as requiring language skills in English and French, CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 two official languages.

Expanding it to compensate employees who speak an Indigenous language was among the suggestions senior civil servants proposed late last year as they discussed ways to address language concerns held by some Indigenous public servants.

Some details of those considerations were contained in a briefing note released to The Canadian Press under the federal Access to Information law.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada, a union representing more than 120,000 federal employees covered by Treasury Board, has proposed creating an Indigenous language allowance to introduce compensation for those who use one in the course of their work.

National president Chris Aylward said the union has identified nearly 500 federal employees who speak an Indigenous language on the job.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a discriminatory practice,SA国际影视传媒� he said in an interview. SA国际影视传媒淲hen their co-workers are getting paid an allowance to speak a second language and these workers are not SA国际影视传媒� how can this government justify that?SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淭his is a very progressive and, we feel, a very tangible way for the government to recognize the importance of Indigenous languages in Canada SA国际影视传媒� itSA国际影视传媒檚 a win-win.SA国际影视传媒�

Aylward said the union, which has been negotiating a new contract with the government for more than a year, is also proposing to increase the bilingualism bonus to $1,500, up from the current $800, and wants to see the same compensation provided to Indigenous language speakers.

SA国际影视传媒淲e definitely believe that Indigenous workers should be recognized for the language that they speak.SA国际影视传媒�

The bilingualism bonus is designed to support the governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 commitment that public servants can work in the language of their choice SA国际影视传媒� a measure required of federal institutions under the countrySA国际影视传媒檚 official languages law, said Alain Belle-Isle, a spokesman for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

SA国际影视传媒淭reasury Board has no plans to broaden the scope of the bilingualism bonus to include Indigenous languages,SA国际影视传媒� Belle-Isle said in a statement.

In a follow-up statement, a spokesman in the office of Mona Fortier, the minister responsible for Treasury Board, said it was committed to creating an inclusive public service and working with partners to address barriers to employment and career advancement.

SA国际影视传媒淲e will never change the fundamental principle of bilingualism in the public service,SA国际影视传媒� wrote Scott Bardsley, adding that more than 40 per cent of federal jobs require dual language proficiency.

He also pointed to an increase in Indigenous representation in the governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 executive ranks, which was reported as being 4.4 per cent in 2020-21, up from 3.7 per cent in 2015-16.

Preserving and promoting Indigenous languages is among the reconciliation-related promises Prime Minister Justin TrudeauSA国际影视传媒檚 Liberal government has prioritized. In 2019, it passed legislation meant to help Indigenous communities revitalize languages their members were not permitted to speak under government policies, like the one in place in the residential school system, which operated for more than a century.

Newly released census data from 2021 shows a slight drop in the number of people who reported being able to speak an Indigenous language.

Statistics Canada also reported a decline in the percentage of people who say they speak French at home.

Lori Idlout, the New Democrat MP for Nunavut, who speaks Inuktitut, said she plans to try to persuade Treasury Board to change course.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 quite disappointed,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 frustrated.SA国际影视传媒�

The MP believes federal employees who can speak an Indigenous language like Inuktitut provide Indigenous residents with better service, and should be entitled to the same benefits as counterparts who speak English and French.

SA国际影视传媒淐anada is founded on Indigenous lands, on First Nations, M茅tis, Inuit lands and if reconciliation is to be realized, this is one of the ways that it has to happen SA国际影视传媒� they need to be given the same value as bilingual English or French federal employees.SA国际影视传媒�

-By Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press