EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I am very pleased to report that Bill 6, the Official Languages Act, has been reviewed by the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit, and that the bill as amended and reprinted is ready for consideration in the Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 6 moved into Committee of the Whole for today.
The member is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) to have Bill 6 moved into Committee of the Whole.
Bill 6 is moved into Committee of the Whole.
Minister of Finance CLEY, Minister Tapardjuk.
Tabled Document 267 – 2(4): Strategic Action Plan for Youth Initiatives (Tapardjuk)
Tabled Document 268 – 2(4): Crown Agency Council of the GN Activities Report April 1, 2007 – March 31, 2008 (Tapardjuk)
Tabled Document 269 – 2(4): Grants and Contributions – GN Report 2005-2006 and Grants and Contributions – GN Report 2006-2007 (Tapardjuk)
I wish to table three documents. The Grants and Contributions Reports for 2005-2006 and 2006-2007; also, Mr. Speaker, the Crown Agency Council Activity Report for the year ending March 31, 2008; and Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Minister’s Statement earlier today, I wish to table to the Strategic Action Plan for Youth Initiatives.
Tabled Document 270 – 2(4): Members’ Guidelines and Information on Indemnities, Allowances and Services in the 2008 Election Year (Management and Services Board) (Speaker)
Speaker (interpretation): Members, I wish to table today the document titled Members’ Guidelines and Information on Indemnities, Allowances, and Services in the 2008 Election Year.
Motion 042 – 2(4): Referral of Tabled Document 216 – 2(4) to the Committee of the Whole – Notice (Curley)
I give notice that on Tuesday, September 9, 2008, I will move the following motion:
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Baker Lake, that Tabled Document 216 – 2(4), Government of Nunavut Request for Proposals for Standing Offer Agreement for Medical Travel and Scheduled Airlines, be referred to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
Motion 041 – 2(4): Extended Adjournment (Picco)
Further, at any time prior to September 9, 2008, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and the Members of the Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time.
Bill 6 with Mr. Kattuk in the Chair.
Before we proceed with Committee of the Whole, we will take a lunch break and resume at 1:30.
>>House recessed at 12:12 and Committee resumed at 13:36
Chairman (Mr. Arreak)(interpretation): I would now like to call the committee meeting to order.
In Committee of the Whole, we have Bill 6 to consider and we will move directly to Bill 6. (interpretation ends) It’s on your desk marked Bill 6. (interpretation) I would like to ask the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to make his opening remarks.
Bill 06 – Official Languages Act – Consideration in Committee
Thank you, my Annuraaqatik.
It is my pleasure to be with you today.
This is an important occasion that follows decades of hope and planning and more than eight years of hard work by the government with our partners in the community.
The bill before you addresses one of the most significant issues facing Inuit -- the preservation and promotion of our language.
That is an essential part of the dream that resulted in the creation of Nunavut.
It may be helpful to look at the issue of language in the context of other urgent issues facing us.
For instance, people around the world are concerned about climate change.
Many countries are taking urgent action to protect the air, land, plants, and animals for the common good of generations to come.
Mr. Chairman, our Inuit language is as important to us as our environment.
But who is voicing concern about our Inuit language?
Who is responsible to protect Inuit cultural heritage for the benefit of our youth and their children?
The Nunavut Act gives the Assembly the authority to make laws in relation to the preservation, use, and promotion of the Inuit language.
This is the clearest and most powerful delegation of authority to make language laws ever given to any territory or province.
We must use it at this critical time in our history.
It is anticipated that 90 percent of the 6,000 languages spoken today on the planet will vanish within the century.
If we do not act, the Inuit language could be one of those.
It is under tremendous pressure and struggles for survival.
At risk are thousands of years of knowledge and Arctic experience that are encompassed in our language.
We must fight to preserve that knowledge.
Only we, as Inuit, can protect what is dearest to our hearts. No others will do it for us.
As we gather today in this Legislative Assembly, we can take collective action for the common good of Inuit, for the people that we represent and serve.
Mr. Chairman, once and for all time, Bill 6 will establish the Inuit language as an official language of Nunavut.
For the first time, Inuit in Nunavut will have a clear legal statement of their inherent right to use the Inuit language in full equality with English and French.
This will exceed any other statutory protection in place for Inuit or an aboriginal people in Canada.
Mr. Chairman, the Official Languages Act is a key first element in our work to ensure the Inuit language stays at the center life of Nunavut, while respecting the rights of those who speak English and French.
The government has a duty to respond to indigenous as well as minority languages which experience disadvantages.
The promotion of the French language and the vitality of the francophone community within Nunavut flow from many of the same considerations and legal principles as the protection and the promotion of the Inuit language.
Bill 6 will deal with the use of language in the Legislative Assembly and the courts and with the delivery of territorial government services to the public. Provisions of the bill will ensure that signs, notices, and documents from Nunavut public bodies are in the official languages, including the Inuit language.
Bill 6 will establish clear lines of authority regarding language use.
A single minister will be given the responsibility for overseeing an official languages implementation plan and be held accountable for progress.
The role of the Languages Commissioner has been strengthened and expanded both as a language ombudsman and through a compliance function to ensure that the legislation is followed.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the support and cooperation shown by the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit in their approach to this work.
They devoted a substantial amount of attention to Bill 6 through their deliberations, consultations, and the public session they held in December to discuss the bill with me.
Recently, they concluded a very productive detailed review of the legislation and we have agreed upon a number of amendments to improve the bill.
These will ensure clarity and a more effective approach to protection and promotion of the Inuit language.
The committee review of Bill 6 resulted in many helpful adjustments to Bill 6, including amendments designed to:
Clarify in the preamble that both individual and collective rights are recognized and affirmed, and affirm the independence of the Legislative Assembly and the courts;
Clarify further the privileges and independence of the Legislative Assembly, the manner in which various reports will be handled, and allow the Assembly to initiate a review of the legislation and implementation of Bill 6 earlier than six years after it comes into force if they so choose;
Clarify the obligation of the courts to provide translations of decisions where a participant is substantially affected;
Ensure a consistent approach to the Inuit language requirements for the records and journals of the Legislative Assembly, Acts and regulations;
Clarify that every bill will be introduced in Inuktitut to the Legislative Assembly, and that an Inuit language version of a bill can be declared authoritative;
Express the requirement that municipalities be consulted during the development of implementation plans, and provide more detailed guidance about the services a municipality is required to provide in an official language, when Bill 6 applies;
Clarify the appointment and certain obligations of the Languages Commissioner, how the principles of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit will guide that work, and ensure that the office has stable and appropriate support staff;
Establish an Official Languages Promotion Fund where fines, donations, appropriations or court order damages can be received - in the longer-term future, the proceeds of this fund will be available to be disbursed for purposes consistent with the objectives set out in Bill 6 and Bill 7;
Provide for a mandatory and publicly available consultation register and ensure that the minister consults with every person or organization on the list, including Inuit and francophone organizations, English-speaking individuals, municipalities, and others likely to be impacted;
At a further notice requirement so that notices of proposed regulations to the Official Languages Act will be published in the regular news media; and
Require that the consultation report relating to a regulation is tabled in the House with the notice of the proposed regulation.
It is important to remember that, as required by the Nunavut Act, Bill 6 requires parliamentary concurrence before it can come into force.
This process may take time.
There are concerns that, even with the best of intentions, the issue of federal concurrence may not be resolved before territorial elections are called.
For this reason, I will be making one motion to amend clause 49 regarding the coming into force of Bill 6 which will respond to a number of concerns, including the need to prevent it from lapsing or failing to come into effect only as the result of federal delay.
Mr. Chairman, the consultation has been carried out and the time to act is now upon us.
We are at a critical time in the life of Inuit language.
Bill 6 is a timely and significant stride in our journey to realize the dream of a Nunavut where the Inuit language is at the centre of work, education, and daily life.
It does that while continuing the promotion and protection of the other official languages, English and French.
With that, I conclude my remarks and look forward to the discussions today.
Chairman (Mr. Kattuk)(interpretation): Thank you, Minister Tapardjuk.
Do you have witnesses that you would like to bring to the witness table?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, of course.
Minister Tapardjuk, please introduce your officials. (interpretation ends) Thank you.
To my left is Stéphane Cloutier, Qupanuaq in Inuktitut. He is a Special Advisor for Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and he has also been instrumental in the development of Bill 6.
To my right is Susan Hardy from the Department of Justice. She is their Legal Counsel and she has assisted us greatly in drafting Bill 6 and Bill 7.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Tapardjuk. Welcome.
Does the Chair of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit have any opening comments?
I am very pleased to see people who are listening to the proceedings in the Gallery.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Chairman, as Chair of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit, I am very pleased to make some opening comments regarding the standing committee’s review of Bill 6, Nunavut’s proposed new Official Languages Act.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee has undertaken a careful and comprehensive review of Bill 6, the proposed Official Languages Act, since its introduction in this House in June of last year.
As members will recall from my interim report of last year, the standing committee has held two sets of public hearings on Bills 6 and 7.
In October of last year, the standing committee heard directly from a number of organizations and individuals.
The Minister of CLEY subsequently appeared in public before the standing committee in December to discuss issues of concern.
I would like to again take this opportunity to formally and publicly thank everyone who took the time to make submissions to the standing committee.
Their input into this process was very valuable.
The standing committee recently met in Sanikiluaq to undertake a comprehensive clause-by-clause review of the bill.
In recent days, the committee has worked closely with the minister and his officials in order to ensure that Bill 6 could be dealt with during the current sitting of the House.
Mr. Chairman, I can say today that this hard work has paid off. Also, Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank our staff for the time that they committed themselves to help us keep up with all the work that needed to be worked on.
Mr. Chairman, all members recognize the importance of this legislation to the people of Nunavut.
Members of the standing committee worked hard to ensure that it reviewed the bill with care.
During our scrutiny, the standing committee was able to make a number of recommendations for amendments to clauses in Bill 6.
As a result, a number of motions were adopted during the minister’s appearance for the clause-by-clause review of Bill 6.
I would like to say for the record that the standing committee and the minister enjoyed a respectful dialogue throughout this process.
The standing committee has always recognized that no legislation will completely satisfy all parties.
The standing committee is of the view that this new legislation will provide a basis upon which to build in the future, especially as our capacity to provide language and translation services expand.
Mr. Chairman, some of the amendments that have been made to Bill 6 since its introduction address the following matters:
The addition of new wording to refer to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
The addition of a new requirement to ensure that Inuktitut versions of bills must be made available at the time a bill is introduced in the Legislative Assembly;
The creation of a new Official Languages Promotion Fund.
This fund may be used for reversing language loss and strengthening the vitality of the Inuit and francophone language communities;
The addition of new wording to affirm the independence of the Legislative Assembly and the courts;
The addition of new wording to ensure that municipalities are consulted in the development of the government’s implementation plans and regulations;
The addition of new wording to enhance the ability of the Languages Commissioner to manage his or her office in an independent manner;
The addition of new wording to define the application of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit; and
The addition of new wording to allow a comprehensive review of the Act by the Legislative Assembly to take place at an earlier time than was originally proposed in Bill 6.
Mr. Chairman, as all members are aware, section 38 of the federal Nunavut Act contains provisions with respect to the need for the concurrence of Parliament for changes to Nunavut’s current Official Languages Act.
The standing committee understands that the government will be bringing forward a motion today in relation to this matter.
I would also like to take this opportunity to state for the record that the standing committee looks forward to continuing its work on Bill 7, the proposed Inuit Language Protection Act, prior to the reconvening of the House in September.
While the standing committee appreciates the enthusiasm with which the prospect of made-in-Nunavut language legislation has been greeted, it is essential that these important initiatives be given the full consideration and scrutiny that they deserve.
The committee recommends the passage of Bill 6, the Official Languages Act, to all members.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the minister and the Chairman of Ajauqtiit, Mr. Mapsalak.
We have been dealing with this for quite some time and it has been very difficult to deal with.
We didn’t want it to fall off the Order Paper but it has to be carefully reworded and provide real protection for Inuktitut.
I think we all know the main purpose of the bill. In Canada, English and French enjoy equal status and recognition. Inuktitut does not enjoy the same status.
That is what we are trying to do through this bill - to give Inuktitut an equal footing with the other languages. However, if we are going to make sure Bill 6 is effective, we felt its wording has to be reworked.
We wanted to get some comments from people, NTI, and the francophone community to find out what they think of the legislation.
We asked them how we can make Inuktitut gain equal status and recognition.  We had a meeting in Sanikiluaq for a week as a committee and dealt with every clause of this bill.
Someone said earlier we had approved 28 motions to make changes to some of the sections of the Act. I am pleased that they were agreed to by Minister Tapardjuk. The main thing that we were working hard on was that as Inuit, we knew a long time ago that our language was not equal to English and French in legislation.
There was a court case in Pond Inlet quite some time ago, the court proceedings were done in a tent.
There was this hunter who was before the courts and in the middle of his trial, whales had been sighted. The trial was interrupted when the accused hunter joined other local hunters in a mad chase of the whales by Qajaq.
At that time, the federal government used to have control over us. It was just like we were taken away from our communities and our families and put into residential schools.
It’s unfortunate that that had to happen, but it is over and done with now. Some people who were sent to residential schools were very badly affected.
In the legislation, it mentions that Inuit language rights are to be guided by Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. It says that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit has to be included in this legislation.
We debated and produced some motions for the government to consider.
Inuit have a value whereby you have to be within the family unit and help each other.
Instead of Inuit just trying to use Inuit values, we wanted the government to be able to put it in legislation so that we can have the same right as English and French.
So in the years to come, we will finally find out that when I go into a government office, I will be able to speak my own language, or when I go in to get a driver’s licence for example.
So as an Inuk, I will be able to communicate with the government and get a response in my own language.
We used to be told that, especially when the government was in the Western Arctic, some of the languages have been lost because they went to school in Aklavik at the age of six and then they finally went home when they were 12 years old.
That’s why they lost their language.
They also lost their traditional values and their traditional way of living. The traditional way of living is very important.
The language is also very important because it goes along with that.
Mr. Chairman, lastly, it seemed we worked on this legislation for a long time and we would like to thank NTI, the Francophone Association of Nunavut, Inuit organizations, the public, and the elders because they have helped us a great deal in order for us to make a good piece of legislation and make 28 motions to change some of the clauses and some of the sections of this Act.
I would like to say that I think we asked many questions in quite a few months, and I will be in support of this bill.
I am happy to say that this legislation brought by the minister is very good.
I know the people out there watching our debates today have a reason to be very proud because this is making history.
On June 4, 2008, the Inuit language will be protected for the first time in Canada.
I thank the minister very much in memory of our ancestors.
It was our ancestors and elders who ensured the survival of our language to this day.
It makes me very proud and I will be in support of this bill. I wanted to mention that first of all.
I’m not a member of the committee, but when I went to go see the elders in my community before I came here, they kept on saying that as long as Bill 6 is passed, that would be a great deal for us.
This elder told me that as long as the legislation is passed in the House, they will be very happy about that.
I would also like to say, as James stated, it was very hard standing before the court if you didn’t know how to speak English, with no interpreters.
It was very difficult for elders to go through the courts.
Some of them became very depressed because they didn’t understand what was going on in court.
However, it’s not like that anymore.
I would like thank all the people who assisted the standing committees, who worked very hard for this legislation to go through, and individuals from the public who made submissions to have the Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut languages protected.
I would also like to thank the officials of the ministers in helping to draft the legislation.
Even though we can speak Inuktitut, if we cannot speak English, it is very difficult.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to say that 36 years ago, when I was in Ottawa, I was invited to speak to Carleton University students studying law.
I was very shocked during the time when Inuit organizations were just being formed. After I did my presentation, one of them stood up and said, “Tagak, you are no longer an Inuk.”
I was very shocked at that time. He said that since I had assimilated into the Canadian society, I was no longer an Inuk. I was very shocked at that time and I didn’t know what else to say.
Before I responded, I thought, for instance, if I was to tell Ed. Picco, “You’re no longer a Qallunaaq because you have been here for many years and you can speak Inuktitut and you can hunt like an Inuk,” would he say, “Yes,” if I told him that he was no longer a Qallunaaq?
I told him, “I will show you how to hunt and do things just like Inuit.”
When I responded like that, he had no other comments.
That incident at Carleton University woke me up.
Two weeks later, the individual who had told me that came and apologized to me.
He realized that he was ill-informed and did not wish those particular studies.
The reason why I am mentioning this is because we will no longer experience those kinds of comments anymore.
We may not be able to understand elders when they speak Inuktitut which we no longer understand, but they will be able to teach us.
So with that, Mr. Chairman, those are my comments and I am very happy to be able to support this legislation because Inuktitut is not just a language.
Inuktitut forms an integral part of the Inuit identity.
When we are no longer able to speak Inuktitut, we see consequences, such as young people who are less grounded.
They are less capable to survive out on the land.
When they don’t know how to speak Inuktitut, know less about their environment, and are less grounded, they are most likely to get into crimes.
I’m happy to say that this legislation will help them regain their identity and I would like to thank the minister and my colleagues for supporting this legislation.
This bill is an example of how we ought to draft bills, and when the minister made a statement on it, it was information we needed to hear and it was legislation that Nunavummiut wanted passed.
I believe that this bill will be passed today and I completely support the bill.
We have continued to support this bill due to our wish to strengthen the enforcement provisions so that we could present the bill in its entirety, as well as to incorporate the submissions from organizations or individuals who wrote to us expressing their concerns or recommendations for changes.
We reviewed the submissions, comments and recommendations for quite some time, quite a long time, and we reviewed all of the details with the minister in a hearing.
Prior to its completion, as my colleague mentioned, while we were in Sanikiluaq, we reviewed all of the clauses in their entirety and the three days rushed by and we almost ran out of time.