YELLOWKNIFE (Monday, March 27, 2023) – Today, the Standing Committee on Government Operations, chaired by Mr. Rylund Johnson, read its report on their statutory review of the Official Languages Act in the Legislative Assembly.
Legislation requires that the Official Languages Act must be reviewed by a Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly every five years and the Language Commissioner highlighted the need for substantial changes for the treatment of Official Languages in the NWT. After an extensive review, the Committee prepared 12 recommendations for the GNWT with four transformative changes:
- Implement a right to receive services in your language of choice
- Implement a right to K-12 education in your local language
- Double resources to support and revitalize Indigenous languages
- Support official language speakers in the public service
Throughout the two-year review, the Committee consulted language-related organizations and held both virtual and in-person public meetings, visiting several communities around the NWT.
The GNWT now has 120 days to respond to the Committee’s report.
Quote:
“I’m very grateful for everyone who took the time to speak to committee, share their stories and their passion for their language, it is definately inspiring! It is clear we need to be doing a lot more to revitalize indigenous languages in this territory. I sincerely hope the government takes these recommendations to heart, and develops plans in the life of this assembly.”
– Mr. Rylund Johnson, Chair, Standing Committee on Government Operations
Related Links:
- Report: 2021-22 Review of the Official Languages Act and the Visual Summary – available in all 11 official languages here
For more information, please contact:
Public Affairs and Communications
NT Legislative Assembly