EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Ministers from every Government of Nunavut department appeared before the Committee from January 21 to 23, 2002, in order for the Committee to question each Minister on their Departmental submission; to request follow-up information and to seek input and ideas for wording changes, additions, deletions and topics that should or should not be included in Nunavut’s Official Languages Act.
To date the Committee has received three written submissions on recommended changes to the Official Languages Act.
Members look forward to receiving more contributions during the next phase of the consultation process.
Committee Findings to Date
The review process has already raised many issues relating to language in Nunavut.
While some of these do not fall directly under the Committee’s mandate they are, nevertheless, important as they relate to language-related objectives overall.
Below is a brief summary of what the Committee has heard during the course of its review.
Stakeholder Issues and Concerns
Committee members were generally pleased at the level of contribution made by stakeholders from across Nunavut.
Members did, however, express some concern that some groups and entities have not as yet taken the opportunity to present their language-related issues and concerns.
In particular, municipal government and private sector representation has been missing.
Without involvement from the municipal and private sectors, there is a concern that not all aspects of language related initiatives will be adequately addressed in the review process.
Committee members feel that for language-related legislation to succeed, it will require the support of all sectors of Nunavut society.
Further consultation efforts will seek input from bodies such as the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.
The status of the French language in Nunavut is somewhat problematic.
It is widely admitted that the Government of Nunavut does not provide a number of services in French that are legally required under the Official Languages Act.
And yet, despite this situation, representatives from the Association Francophonie de Nunavut expressed a sense of being well-protected by federal language legislation and demonstrated a strong sense of commitment to the Government’s objective to strengthen the Inuit languages of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.
It was further suggested that Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun be granted equal status with French and English in Nunavut’s new language legislation.
The Committee feels that the issue of equal status for Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, French and English should be addressed during future consultation proceedings.
Members look forward to further input from the public on the issue of equal status for all of Nunavut’s official languages.
The status of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun outside of Nunavut was discussed in both the Canadian and international contexts.
While several Inuit languages and dialects are spoken around the circumpolar North, stakeholders had mixed views on whether initiatives in the areas of national or even international standardization and terminology should play a role in decisions related to territorial legislation.
Many stakeholders did, however, feel that Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun have not been given adequate recognition in the federal context.
Examples of federal documentation which are not made available in Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun include gun licensing applications, taxation forms, and applications for old age or child benefits.
In the absence of partnerships with federal and municipal jurisdictions, the Government of Nunavut is left in the position of ensuring that Nunavut residents receive services in a language that they understand.
At present, the Official Languages Act applies only to institutions of the territorial government.
The Official Languages Act does not apply to municipalities, private businesses and other bodies outside of the territorial government.
Signage is not required to be in Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun.
Stakeholders addressed the issue of whether the Act should be revised to include the private sector and municipal governments or whether a new and separate Act could be put in place that would address this and other needs.
Multiple views were expressed on these matters.
At present, the Official Languages Act does not work towards promoting, protecting or enhancing Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun.
The Act was not seen as being strong enough to encourage or support language-related initiatives such as the Bathurst Mandate vision of having Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun as the working language of Government by the year 2020.
The role of the Languages Commissioner is limited with respect to action taken in cases where the Official Languages Act is not followed.
At the same time, there is no mandated accountability for the implementation of the Act.
The Committee feels that the issue of accountability and roles and responsibilities specified within the Act should be addressed during public consultation activities.
Languages not commonly used in Nunavut are listed as official languages under the Official Languages Act.
The current Act lists a number of aboriginal languages that were used in the Northwest Territories prior to division.
Stakeholders unanimously felt the languages of Chipewyan, Cree, Dogrib, Gwich’in and Slavey did not have significant representation in Nunavut and could be removed from the Act without depriving any group of language rights.
The status of Inuinnaqtun as an Inuit language or as a dialect of Inuktitut was raised in a number of contexts.
The Act currently defines Inuktitut as including Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun.
Inuinnaqtun has the distinction of being the only Inuit dialect in Nunavut to use roman orthography while all other dialects use syllabics.
Concerns of language loss were raised most frequently by speakers of Inuinnaqtun.
“3” Official Languages or “4” Official languages.
Stakeholders were divided in their views on how many official languages should be listed under the new Act, once other non-Nunavut languages were removed.
Many stakeholders used the term Inuktitut to refer collectively to all Inuit dialects and felt that English, French and Inuktitut should be the official languages. Others felt that the resulting interpretation of Inuktitut could disadvantage speakers of Inuinnaqtun and felt that Inuinnaqtun should be included as a fourth, distinct official language of Nunavut.
For all future discussion, the Committee shall refer to Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun separately.
Standardization of writing systems and of dialects was raised in a number of contexts.
The Committee recognizes that demands on service delivery would increase in direct proportion to the number of dialects requiring translation or interpretation.
On the other hand, the Committee acknowledges that dialect is an important aspect of culture and tradition and many stakeholders felt that dialects must be protected.
Many stakeholders felt that the policies and guidelines used to implement any language legislation will have to address the issues of standardization as a priority.
The concept of a centralized language institute, authority or commission was supported by several stakeholders.
Many felt that current efforts in the areas of new terminology and standardization are too scattered and piecemeal to be effective across Nunavut.
Models discussed included Nunavik’s House of Elders and a proposal for a combined initiative by the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, the Department of Education and Nunavut Arctic College.
Some stakeholders felt that such an authority could be mandated under the Official Languages Act or under other language legislation.
The role of the education system in developing, promoting and protecting language was a central theme of discussion.
While the Official Languages Act does not have any jurisdiction over language in the education system, the Education Act does have such authority.
Both youth and elders raised the issue of language loss and the increasing language gaps between generations.
Discussions of literacy raised important links between language ability, problem-solving skills and opportunities for self-reliance.
Most agreed that the education system will play a significant role in addressing these situations.
The Committee feels that language provisions in all other Nunavut statutes and regulations should be reviewed following future amendments to the Official Languages Act.
Public health and safety issues were identified as areas requiring essential language services.
Stakeholders discussed a number of circumstances in which they felt that the lack of service provided in Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun put the health and safety of Nunavut residents at risk.
Examples included road safety signs, pharmaceutical instructions, emergency guidelines in case of fire or accident, safety instructions during air travel and access to such services as telephone “help lines.”
Baseline Data from Government of Nunavut
As mandated under the Special Committee’s Terms of Reference, every government department was tasked with providing information on language-related initiatives, documentation and policy.
The amount of detail and information provided by departments varied widely and, in some cases, required repeated requests to obtain.
Committee members noted that while certain departments demonstrated a proactive and, at times, aggressive approach to language issues, others seemed to only react to demands as they occurred.
A summary of departmental submissions is being prepared.
Departmental language information provided to the Committee fell into four main categories: policies relating to language use; the department’s capacity for providing services in the various languages; forms and documentation available in each language; and departmental training or incentives for Inuit language abilities.
Committee members were concerned at the lack of input or information on policies relating to language use and their administration.
One key observation was that there is, at present, no consistency across government on what language services are provided and no consistency in what departments consider minimal requirements for language services.
While this inconsistency was very clear to the Committee, Members recognised that at present the Government of Nunavut does not have a government-wide language policy to provide overall direction to departments.
As one Member stated, “For each department to have to address language issues by itself poses a heavy burden to carry as we travel the path to making Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun the working language of government.
A government-wide language policy would mean that every department could carry a lighter load and we could be consistent in our efforts to reach our destination.”
Government language policy, in the most limited sense, would serve to govern language use within the government; facilitate communication between departments and officials, train and recruit personnel, assist process and participation and provide access to public services, proceedings and documents.
In the broader sense, a government language policy can determine how languages are used in all public contexts; foster language skills necessary to meet territorial objectives and protect the rights of Nunavummiut in learning and using the languages of the territory.
Examples of language policies from other jurisdictions of Canada are included as appendices.
While Nunavut’s Official Languages Act plays an important role with respect to language use across the territory, the Committee is of the view that policies, procedures and the strategies to implement them will be equally important in reaching language-related objectives.
Capacity and Cost
Information provided by the government shows that the majority of departments rely on the services of the Language Bureau of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to provide translation services.
Where the Language Bureau is unable to provide services, interpretation and translation services are contracted out.
The Committee noted that the Language Bureau’s capacity to provide services in Inuinnaqtun appears very limited, despite the fact that the office is located in Kugluktuk.
Government-wide efforts to promote and increase the number of professional Interpreter-Translators do not seem sufficient to meet the demand for services.
Committee members felt that opportunities for the development of professional language services, such as training and certification, especially for Inuinnaqtun, should be a priority at this time.
At present, government financial coding for contracted services in this area does not differentiate between the languages being used (for example French, Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun).
It is therefore not possible to ascertain the cost of services for each language.
The Committee does recognize that any legislation or policy requirements for enhanced language services, from increasing French-language services to interpretation into more than one dialect of Inuktitut, will result in rapidly escalating costs.
The Committee is of the view that the financial coding system should more accurately capture the costs of providing language services across government.
The Committee notes with satisfaction that the production of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun materials has greatly increased since the creation of Nunavut.
Many departments listed documents that have been made available in French, Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun as well as English.
The majority of these documents appear intended for use within government, while materials directed primarily to the general public appears to have been less of a priority.
Members noted that some documents, such as Hansard, are not currently translated into French and Inuinnaqtun.
Given the capacity issues described above, the Committee expressed the hope that this situation would improve with time.
Training and Incentives
The Committee was pleased to note that most government departments have taken advantage of the Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun language training offered to employees through Nunavut Arctic College.
Members did note, however, that decentralized communities do not all have access to such courses through the local Nunavut Arctic College.
Approximately 360 government employees receive the bilingual language bonus where their position requires them to be able to speak a language other than English.
Front-line workers such as teachers and language specialists are not included in this category.
While many departments demonstrated the capacity to provide limited language services to the public, such as reception duties or general correspondence, it is clear that the working language of government is presently English.
Members are pleased with the ongoing work of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Task Force and look forward to hearing the recommendations brought forward by its members as they relate to the use of the Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.
Committee members noted that in practice, the Government of Nunavut’s priority for language services appears to go first to such activities as interpretation and translation activities in the Legislative Assembly and the courts.
The next level of priority for language services appears to be directed towards the area of internal government operations while services to the public appear to receive the lowest priority.
Committee members are of the view that the prioritization of language services must be immediately addressed in the context of developing a government-wide language policy.
Committee members recognize that there are three levels of jurisdiction impacting the social and cultural well-being of Nunavummiut.
Federal, territorial and municipal jurisdictions share the responsibility of providing core services to the residents of Nunavut.
In the absence of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun language support from these sectors, it ultimately falls to the Government of Nunavut to ensure that services are delivered and received appropriately.
Recognizing that we all serve the same people, Committee Members are of the view that federal and municipal jurisdictions must be encouraged to support territorial language objectives.
Interim Recommendations
Recommendation #1:
That the Government of Nunavut immediately begin drafting a Government-wide language policy for submission to the Special Committee for review and comment.
Recommendation #2:
That priority be given to implementing the language policy referred to in Recommendation #1 in the essential service areas of health, public safety and transportation.
Recommendation #3:
That the Government of Nunavut encourage the federal government, municipal governments, Inuit organizations and the private sector to lend their full support to implementing the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act.
Recommendation #4:
That the Government of Nunavut’s current Program Review exercise formally assess the resources necessary to build capacity across departments with respect to providing language services in Inuktitut, Innuinaqtun, French and English; taking into account the Bathurst Mandate’s goals with respect to language.
The Committee looks forward to continuing its work on the review of the Official Languages Act.
Members would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to stakeholder representatives who have participated in roundtable meetings and who have submitted formal input and comment.
Members would also like to thank Ministers and government officials for their contributions to this process.
The next steps of the review, as mandated by the Terms of Reference, will involve meetings with key witnesses and the development of discussion tools and materials for the public consultation phase of the review.
The Committee plans to visit communities across Nunavut after the summer and looks forward to hearing the views and concerns of Nunavummiut on how the Official Languages Act could best serve them.
1. Committee documentation
a. Terms of Reference
b. “Partnerships for the Future” feedback form
c. News Releases
Examples of Language Policies
a. GNWT Official Languages Policy
Manitoba French Language Service Policy
Committee Report 018 – 1(5): Report of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit on its Review of the 2000-2001 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Members of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit, I have the honour of presenting an overview of our Committee's Review of the 2000-2001 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut.
The Languages Commissioner’s 2000-2001 Annual Report was tabled in the House and referred to the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit on November 28, 2001.
On January 31, 2002, the Languages Commissioner presented her report to the Standing Committee.
Members of the Committee would like to thank Ms. Eva Aariak for her presentation.
Members were pleased with the high level of public attendance at this meeting.
This presentation led to a productive discussion and consideration of key issues relating to language use and rights within Nunavut.
The Languages Commissioner's primary role is to ensure that the Government of Nunavut carries out its obligations under the Official Languages Act.
I would like to take a moment to review her recommendations, and the Standing Committee's position on them.
The Languages Commissioner's first recommendation was that the Cabinet should strike a working group of senior officials to begin work on a comprehensive language strategy aimed at establishing Inuktitut as the working language of the Government of Nunavut.
However, the Standing Committee further recommends the working group also include participation from language professionals and that the comprehensive language strategy and the review of service delivery include both Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.
I will pass on the rest of the report to be read by James Arvaluk, Member for Nanulik.
The Languages Commissioner's second recommendation was that that the Government of Nunavut work with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and Regional Inuit Associations to establish a permanent Inuktitut language commission.
The purpose of the commission would be to develop standardized Inuktitut terminology for use in government administration and to make decisions regarding the spelling to be used in the government’s Inuktitut documents.
The Standing Committee agrees with this concept and looks forward to reviewing the Languages Commissioner’s detailed discussion paper on the establishment of a language commission, including the possible administrative arrangements and cost projections prior to making its decision, as indicated in her report.
The Languages Commissioner's third recommendation was that the new Unicode syllabic fonts, known as Pigiarniq and Uqammaq, be installed on all of the Government of Nunavut's computer systems, and that training programs be offered to staff on how to use them correctly.
The Commissioner recommended that Cabinet ask the Chief Informatics Officer to issue a directive to all departments, boards and agencies, requiring the use of these fonts for all Government of Nunavut documents in syllabics.
The Standing Committee agrees with this recommendation, and notes with approval that documents produced by the Legislative Assembly in Inuktitut are now prepared in these fonts.
The Standing Committee encourages the GN and the Office of the Languages Commissioner to encourage non-government entities to prepare documentation in Inuktitut using these fonts, so as to support the compatibility of documents.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, I would like to give the report back to Mr. Iqaqrialu to finish.
The Languages Commissioner's fourth recommendation was that Cabinet encourage the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to revise its current translation policy so that it requires the use of ICI standardized roman orthography for all Government of Nunavut documents written in Inuinnaqtun.
While the Standing Committee agrees that there is a need to adopt one writing system for Inuinnaqtun, the Committee felt that the Languages Commissioner needs to further consult with the Inuinnaqtun language community on the recommendation.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Languages Commissioner provide the Committee with the results of her consultations.
The Languages Commissioner's fifth recommendation was that the training of language professionals, including Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun instructors, translators and interpreters, must become a much greater priority for the government.
She recommended that Cabinet consider measures, including increased funding, that would strengthen Nunavut Arctic College’s ability to deliver both the Translator and Interpreter Program and the Nunavut Teacher Education Program.
The Standing Committee agrees with this recommendation, and notes that capacity shortfalls are particularly evident with respect to Inuinnaqtun.
I will return the report to Mr. Arvaluk to read.
The Languages Commissioner's sixth recommendation was that Cabinet request all Government of Nunavut departments and the Legislative Assembly to comply with the Official Languages Act by making their websites available in Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and French.
The Standing Committee agrees with this recommendation, provided that websites are developed, in a manner that respects the importance of not delaying the publication of available information on government websites in the event of translation delays.
The Languages Commissioner's seventh recommendation was that Cabinet encourage the Department of Human Resources to develop a new language bonus system that would provide an incentive for all Government of Nunavut employees to acquire or improve upon their Inuktitut language skills and to use Inuktitut in the workplace.
The Standing Committee also recognizes that the Government needs to develop, implement and promote the use of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun in the delivery of programs and services at all levels.
The Languages Commissioner's eighth recommendation was that Cabinet encourage the Departments of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and Human Resources to devote more resources to language enhancement training for Inuktitut-speaking employees.