Inuktitut speakers need police services: deputy mayor
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 | 10:48 AM CT
CBC News
The RCMP should provide more Inuktitut-language services in Nunavut's Inuit communities, says the deputy mayor in Clyde River, Nunavut.
Nick Idlout said his community has about 1,000 residents, most of them unilingual Inuktitut speakers. However, the hamlet's two RCMP officers do not speak the Inuit language, he said.
The Clyde River hamlet council will discuss the issue on Thursday, when it has its monthly meeting with the local RCMP detachment.
Idlout said the national police force or Nunavut's Justice Department should hire more Inuktitut speakers, adding that many Inuit are frustrated with the police and tired of a backlogged court system.
"We're supposed to be living in 2009 … where we say use it or lose it, or we're militarizing the Arctic and spending billions of dollars on icebreakers," Idlout said Tuesday.
"Why can't they spend a few million dollars putting more cops on the ground that speak Inuktitut, or at least have a civilian person working for the RCMP to be able to understand and communicate properly with the communities?"
He added that residents who call the RCMP's toll-free phone number in Iqaluit often get a response in English only.
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Increased shipping in the North could threaten whales
- New research suggests that increased shipping in the North could pose a serious threat to whales, as underwater noise from ships can cause stress in the animals. more »
- Arctic bishop John Sperry dies
- Longtime northerner Bishop John R. Sperry died on Feb. 11 in Hay River, N.W.T. He was 87 years old. more »
- Imperial Oil says Mackenzie pipeline deadline will be tight
- An Imperial Oil spokesperson says the company intends to meet the NEB's 2013 deadline, but that it will be tight because it has to secure 'literally thousands' of permits. more »
- More Labrador vigils calling for better search and rescue
- People gathered in Labrador communities for a second night Friday to call for improved search and rescue services following the death of a lost Makkovik boy almost two weeks ago. more »
Top News Headlines
- U.S. bank reforms could hurt Canadians, Flaherty fears
- Canada's finance minister and the governor of the Bank of Canada have formally complained to their American counterparts that proposed banking reforms could harm Canadian banks, business, investors and the government itself. more »
- CBC digital music service launches today
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes, and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Whitney Houston death shows no signs of trauma
- Whitney Houston's life of glorious song and unnerving self-destruction apparently ended on Grammy weekend, but it could be weeks before investigators know exactly why she died. more »
- Organ donation rates go flat
- Organ donation rates have stagnated in Canada since 2006, according to a new report. more »
- Imperial Oil says Mackenzie pipeline deadline will be tight
- Arctic bishop John Sperry dies
- Army drivers to train on Yellowknife roads
- Contractor says oil furnace industry needs policing
- Arctic scholar, politician Bob Williamson dies
- Shelter's resources strained by sled dog rescue
- N.W.T. Health Minister’s daughter charged in major drug bust
- Snowy owls flock south
- Nunavut unveils new high school curriculum
