Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages

The establishment of the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages is an important element in the implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act (the Act). It is composed of a full-time Commissioner and three full-time Directors who represent the interests of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

Role of the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages

Acknowledging that Indigenous peoples are best placed to take the leading role in reclaiming, revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening their languages, the Office plays a role in supporting self-determined language initiatives.

Under the Act, the Office will, among other things:

help promote Indigenous languages;
support the efforts of Indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their languages;
facilitate the resolution of disputes and review complaints to the extent provided by this Act;
promote public awareness of the richness and diversity of Indigenous languages; and
support innovative projects and the use of new technologies in Indigenous language education and revitalization, in cooperation with Indigenous governments and other Indigenous governing bodies, Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments.

The Office will report annually on the use and vitality of Indigenous languages in Canada, the adequacy of funding provided for Indigenous language initiatives and the needs (and progress made) of Indigenous groups, communities and peoples and entities that are specialized in Indigenous languages with regard to the revitalization of Indigenous languages.

Appointment process

The Governor in Council process for appointments includes the establishment of a Selection Committee to assess and identify highly qualified candidates. A modified Selection Committee was established and included First Nation, Inuit and Métis Nation representatives to reflect the unique nature, scope and role of the Office and the Commissioner and Directors. This ensured that the selection of the Commissioner and Directors was directly informed by Indigenous perspectives.

Commissioner and directors

Ronald E. Ignace, Commissioner

Stsmél̓qen, Ronald E. Ignace, is a member of the Secwepemc Nation in Interior British Columbia. He was the elected chief of the Skeetchestn Indian Band for more than 30 years since the early 1980s. He also served as Chairman of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council and president of its cultural society, where he initiated a broad program of research and reclamation on Secwepemc language and culture, including an innovative university partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU).

He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of British Columbia, and completed his PhD in Anthropology at SFU in 2008, with a dissertation on Secwepemc oral history. He has (co-)written numerous articles and book chapters on Secwepemc history, ethnobotany, language and culture, including the epic Secwepemc People, Land and Laws: Yerí7 re stsq̓ey̓s-kucw, a journey through 10,000 years of Secwepemc history.

From 2003-2005, he chaired the Ministerial Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures, and from 2016-2021, co-chaired the Assembly of First Nations’ Chiefs Committee on Languages, where he played an instrumental role in the development of Bill C-91, the Indigenous Languages Act.

Raised by his great-grandparents Sulyen and Edward Eneas, and despite being taken to Kamloops Indian Residential School for several years in his childhood, Ron is a fluent speaker of Secwepemctsin and has more than sixty years of practical experience in Secwepemc traditional skills on the land. With his wife Marianne Ignace, he was awarded the Governor General‘s Award for Innovation in 2019, for their decades of collaborative research involving Indigenous people and communities.
Robert Watt, Director

Since his early career, Mr. Robert Watt has been involved in promoting, protecting and preserving Inuktitut. He organized and facilitated terminology workshops, created databases for translators and interpreters, and personally helped develop and teach the Adult Education Translator/Interpreter Program. His vision is shaped by his determination and his Inuit heritage at the Kativik School Board Adult Education Department.

As elected President of the Avataq Cultural Institute from 1998 to 2001, Robert co-created and initiated the commercial production and marketing of Avataq’s five blends of herbal teas. He ensured that all proceeds would be used for the protection and preservation of Inuit Culture and Language.

Robert also facilitated the first-ever national gathering of Canadian Inuit throat singers, organized by the Avataq Cultural Institute. This event paved the way to the Government of Quebec granting throat singing special cultural heritage status.

Co-Director of the Inuit Sub-Commission at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he visited numerous Canadian communities, collecting almost 800 statements from residential school and intergenerational trauma survivors. Hearing the hurts and hopes conveyed by these testimonies has increased his own sense of heritage and identity.

More recently, Robert was President and Commissioner of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, a school board created under the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement. In this role, he actively supported initiatives to advance the protection, strengthening and development of the Inuktitut language through educational programming rooted in the Inuit identity and worldview.
Georgina Liberty, Director

Georgina Liberty has devoted her life to preserving, protecting and cherishing her Metis identity and spirit. In her teens, she worked as a researcher for the Manitoba Metis Federation, tracing the Metis land script. She has been an active member of the Manitoba Metis Federation since 1969, and is currently the Director of Metis Nation 2020 – Metis 150 for the Metis National Council, which marked Manitoba’s 150th anniversary and the historic role of Louis Riel in bringing Manitoba into Confederation.

This position allowed her to commit to her passion of educating others about the history of the Metis people and their important role in the building of Manitoba and its relationship with Canada.

Georgina’s diverse work experience includes employing and engaging Metis, First Nations and Inuit peoples in opportunities to build on their strengths and to progress in business, leadership and governance opportunities.

Georgina has many years of experience in governance and policy, and acquired political acumen working for the Metis government within the Manitoba Metis Federation for over 20 years, as well with other Indigenous organizations.

Georgina believes her strength in bringing others together has garnered the wonderful grassroots relationships she has today.

She believes that the desire to preserve, protect and strengthen identities as Indigenous Peoples is a thread that weaves all Indigenous Peoples together in a fight to have their rights recognized, protected and respected.

Her lived experience as a Metis woman in Western Canada and the leadership role her father exemplified in the community have provided her an amazing life experience and enriched work history. Her strength comes from her proud Metis family and her four beautiful grandchildren.
Joan Greyeyes, Director

Joan Greyeyes is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation within Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan. Joan earned a Bachelor of Education Degree, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Educational Administration and a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Saskatchewan. Her experience as a senior executive with significant knowledge working with corporate, government and Indigenous relations at the post-secondary level, have contributed to her commitment to Indigenous education.

She brings a wealth of knowledge as the former president of the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and Special Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Initiatives at the University of Saskatchewan. She negotiated with the Province of Saskatchewan to establish the first provincial Act in Canada (the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology Act) to recognize a First Nations institution as a post-secondary institution.

In collaboration with SaskTel, Joan established a call centre to provide Indigenous language coverage to the province of Saskatchewan. Joan’s recent work with the University of Saskatchewan centered on the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages. She has initiated programs and presented at an international level on various aspects of Indigenous language revitalization.

Her expertise in negotiating for First Nations with institutions and provincial and federal governments has assisted her in supporting the efforts of Indigenous Peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their Indigenous languages.