Summary:
In June 2017 the federal government, in a joint statement with Indigenous leaders, confirmed that Aboriginal rights include Aboriginal language rights.
The Call to Action:
We call upon the federal government to acknowledge that Aboriginal rights include Aboriginal language rights.
Analysis:
In June 2017 the federal government, in a joint statement with Indigenous leaders, confirmed that Aboriginal rights include Aboriginal language rights.
The statement was made when the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, along with federal Minister of Heritage Melanie Joly, announced the co-development of an Indigenous Languages Act.
The development and legislation of an Indigenous Languages Act would recognize “First Nations, Inuit and Métis language rights and jurisdictions” and would be “fundamental to Indigenous self-determination,” according to a joint news release between the federal government, the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
The Indigenous Languages Act would “further affirm and address the right of Indigenous Peoples” to revitalize and preserve their languages for future generations, according to the press statement.
Following the June 2017 announcement, the federal government launched a nationwide engagement process, seeking input from Indigenous leaders, language teachers and Elders, about how to draft the Indigenous Languages Act.
An Act Respecting Indigenous Languages was tabled in Parliament in February 2019. After being passed by the House of Commons and the Senate, it received royal assent on June 21, 2019.
The legislation sets up an Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages tasked with: planning “initiatives and activities” to restore and maintain fluency in Indigenous languages; creating technological tools, educational materials and permanent records of Indigenous languages, including audio and video recordings of fluent speakers; and funding immersion programs.
The office also would undertake further research on existing and extinct Indigenous languages.
The Indigenous languages commissioner, like the official languages commissioner, will be chosen by the federal cabinet and appointed to a five-year term.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami withdrew its support for the bill prior to its tabling.
“The absence of any Inuit-specific content suggests this bill is yet another legislative initiative developed behind closed doors by a colonial system and then imposed on Inuit,” Natan Obed, president of ITK, said in a statement.
Obed said the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages is little more than a new title for the existing Aboriginal Languages Initiative program, a federal office that has largely failed to halt the decline of Indigenous languages despite having a mission similar to that of the new Liberal plan.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the land-claim organization representing Inuit in Nunavut, also said the legislation was not co-developed with Inuit. It said it does not address issues around accessing public services like health care, education and justice in Indigenous languages — something Inuit wanted to see.