What we Heard Report: Consultations on the Implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act — November 30, 2020 — Makivik

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 our 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:

• Sharing best practices in Indigenous languages revitalization work from across the country;
• Raising awareness about the different realities of Indigenous languages in different parts of Canada; and
• Gathering data to inform decision-making.

Participants thought it was important that the Office have a streamlined structure and some presence in locations other than Ottawa. Some participants also suggested establishing Elders’ Committees to liaise between the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages and people working directly on revitalizing Indigenous languages.

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

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

• Work with Indigenous groups to gather data and ensure information is Indigenous-owned;
• Consult existing research on Indigenous languages when mapping out needs, in particular, a report on the state of the language and on needs going forward that has been produced in Nunavik; and
• Work with provincial governments to address impediments to progress on Indigenous languages.

Many participants expressed that there should be a Language Authority in Nunavik that can build relationships with the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages.

Selection of a Commissioner and Directors:

Participants thought that ‘on the ground’ experience working on Indigenous language revitalization should outweigh high levels of academic achievement when considering potential candidates.

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:

• The inadequacy of current funding for Indigenous languages in Nunavik;
• The need for the federal government’s commitment to funding to be sustained and ongoing; and
• Fair and equitable distribution of funds.

Many participants referred to a report produced in Nunavik on the state of Indigenous languages and what is needed going forward. A funding allocation model that has already been developed for the Inuit regions reflects equality, takes into account per capita and language vitality factors, and is premised on having Inuktut as an official language in the regions in question.

What to Fund:

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

• The establishment of a Language Authority in Nunavik;
• Workshops, on the land teaching and learning, community radio, arts, books for different age groups, magazines, multimedia tools, television captioning in Inuktut, increased use of technology, games and apps in language learning, and curriculum development, including efforts to transcribe language recordings and support for people writing down oral histories;
• Additional teacher training, and training for Inuktut translators and interpreters, and efforts to have them accredited at the provincial level;
• Support for Elders’ Councils, accreditation of Elders working to revitalize Indigenous languages and better supports for students preparing for post-secondary studies;
• Inuktut-only schools, colleges and universities; and
• Circumpolar efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages and support to hire staff and travel costs, especially important in the Arctic.

Many participants talked about the critical issue of addressing taxation issues affecting Elders who are working on language revitalization efforts, and others shared the importance of undertaking initial studies to determine what the funding priorities should be.

Funding Process:

According to participants, the funding process should:

• Ensure funding flows directly to non-profit organizations working on Indigenous language revitalization; and
• Be streamlined and informed by previous studies in Nunavik regarding Indigenous languages and the needs going forward.

Participants encouraged Canada to negotiate funding agreements with Nunavik based on known needs and talked about Nunavik having flexibility and control over the funding – some participants suggested providing block funding to the region.

Defining and Measuring Success:

According to participants, good faith negotiations between Canada and Inuit on Indigenous languages will be a mark of success.

Additional Comments

Participants talked about Indigenous languages being at the heart of Indigenous culture, and about the importance of children being able to speak their own languages. While the Inuktut language may be doing relatively well in Nunavik, in part because the isolated nature of many communities, there are still factors eroding the health of the language, including the impact of residential schools and social media. Participants also spoke about the need for a home or an institutional base for Inuktut in Nunavik, and of the broader context of Nunavik being on a path to self-determination.

Many participants thought the Inuktut language should have official status in Nunavik, as it does in other Inuit regions, and expressed a desire for more support, recognition, and legislative protection from the province of Quebec for their language. Some participants also expressed the importance of ensuring Nunavik and the organizations working in Nunavik to revitalize the Inuktut language, are fully engaged in efforts on Indigenous languages revitalization.