What we Heard Report: Consultations on the Implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act — November 27, 2020 — Congress of Aboriginal Peoples

The Government of Canada is undertaking a variety of consultation activities across Canada on the implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act, with a focus on the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages and Directors and the Indigenous Languages Funding Model.

These consultation sessions will help the Minister of Canadian Heritage make recommendations to the Governor in Council for the appointment of a Commissioner of Indigenous Languages and up to three Directors. Feedback from these sessions will also inform the development of the Indigenous Languages Funding Model.

For further details and information about the Indigenous Languages Act and current consultations, we invite you to read the Discussion guide: Consultations and Engagement on the Implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act.

A summary of the most recent consultation session is provided below. The summary is not a complete account of the discussions. Instead, it highlights the key themes that emerged from this consultation session. Please visit the online consultation portal and review the discussion guide to share your own and/or additional views.

Participants’ Overall Comments and Suggestions

Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages

The following considerations and themes were raised during the discussion on the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages:

Roles and Responsibilities:

Participants thought that the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages should include:

• Undertaking Indigenous language revitalization work using a “whole of government” approach;
• Increasing general awareness of the value, heritage and history of Indigenous languages; and
• Rising above political dynamics, building relationships with all Indigenous stakeholders and working towards achieving measurable results for Indigenous languages.

Participants thought it was important that the Office take a non-political approach to the work ahead, and that they hold the Department of Canadian Heritage accountable for their level of engagement with all Indigenous representatives.

Plans and Priorities and Early Successes - Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages:

Participants proposed that the Office focus on the following early priorities:

• Working with Indigenous communities to determine the state of vitality of Indigenous languages, including among urban, non-status and self-identifying Indigenous people;
• Ensuring that all Indigenous voices are heard and reflected in research and other Indigenous languages revitalization work; and
• Collaborating on community-driven research that benefits Indigenous people and contributes to evidence-based decision-making.

Participants also thought that the overarching goal for the Office in its first year should be to determine the current state of Indigenous languages, and to set out objectives and a plan for how to achieve these objectives collaboratively.

Selection of a Commissioner and Directors:

Participants thought that appointees to the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages should be:

• Indigenous, fluent in an Indigenous language and able to demonstrate a sense of fairness;
• Passionate about the work of revitalizing Indigenous languages;
• Knowledgeable about the history of the loss of Indigenous languages and culture and about the recent Daniels Decision; and
• Reflective of Indigenous languages and of where Indigenous people live.

Participants also shared that appointees to the Office should be representative of Elders, youth and women and that at least one appointee should be a language specialist.

Indigenous Languages Funding Model

The following considerations and themes were raised during the discussion on the proposed Indigenous Languages Funding Model:

Language Vitality and Governance Capacity:

Participants raised a number of issues to consider during the development of an Indigenous Languages Funding Model, including:

• Fairness and equity, specifically that the model should be designed to ensure funding goes to where the needs are;
• Inadequacy of current funding and the need to commit to long-term funding;
• Population and Indigenous languages as a basis for a model; and
• Importance of a “whole of government” approach to funding.

Participants indicated that the funding model should reflect the number of Indigenous languages, the number of First Nations in a given region and where Indigenous people live, highlighting that the majority resides off reserve.

What to Fund:

Participants thought that funding should be as flexible as possible and should support a range of initiatives including:

• Efforts to modernize Indigenous languages;
• Indigenous radio programming; and,
• Infrastructure costs to create spaces for urban Indigenous people to practice their languages along with their cultures and protocols (songs, drumming, dance, medicine wheel, dreamcatchers, basket making, etc.).

Many participants emphasized that Indigenous languages are inseparable from culture and are part of the foundation of identity for Indigenous people. Others shared that Indigenous language initiatives need to be measurable and show results.

Funding Process:

According to participants, the funding process should:

• Provide multi-year funding, with yearly assessments, to Indigenous organizations;
• Move away from proposal-based funding and ensure timely funding decisions; and
• Learn from other federal departments that have moved to longer-term fiscal arrangements with Indigenous organizations representing off-reserve populations.

Some participants expressed that the Department of Canadian Heritage ought to broaden its audience when it comes to discussions around funding processes for Indigenous languages.

Defining and Measuring Success:

According to participants, achieving results in the area of Indigenous language revitalization may take some time as significant front-end efforts are often required to hire and train staff, conduct initial research, and secure community interest and buy-in.

Additional Comments

Some participants shared stories of loss of Indigenous languages and others thought these consultations were a good starting point to reclaim some of what has been lost. Participants acknowledged the significant work ahead, the dire situation for many languages and the Nation-building nature of Indigenous languages revitalization work. Others also shared that revitalizing Indigenous languages helps to restore values systems.

Many participants raised a number of issues around the need for equal representation of Indigenous organizations, particularly for those organizations that serve off reserve and non-status Indigenous people, and Métis people. Participants shared that distinctions-based organizations do not currently represent all Indigenous people, and that many First Nations people who live off reserve do not receive services from their respective bands. Participants highlighted that the needs of Indigenous people living off reserve are often significant (homelessness, high rates of incarceration, high rates of children in care, etc.).

Participants viewed this as an opportunity to ensure all Indigenous people are fairly and fully included in efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages.