Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I spoke about the increased difficulty the communities are having in dealing with the outdated existing Dene fonts with the current computer software that is out there. The lack of commitment from this government to help solve this technical challenge our language communities are having and try to find ways to be able to work with those communities….
My question to the Minister is: does he agree that he is responsible for the maintenance and revitalization of aboriginal languages and the ability to use the Dene font in developing curriculum, such as school curriculum, and to provide those community organizations with the tools to do their jobs?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
It is important to deal with this particular issue the Member has raised. One of the areas we’ve been dealing with is the language boards: the Aboriginal Language Revitalization Board and the Official Languages Board, which deals directly with the community and the leadership at the community level — the educational leadership.
Certainly this is one of the priorities of the group we work closely with and with our department. The Dene font the Member has referred to has been discussed for a number of years now, as the Member alluded to. The Dene fonts available may have been outdated, but that has been recognized from the language groups. We are in the process of having a meeting this fall to deal with that matter. Mahsi.
As I also illustrated in my comments on this matter, this has been going on for some time. I sat on a committee five years ago that recommended this be dealt with. Yet today, we’re still talking about it. It has to do with trying to find the technology to, basically, deal with existing software that’s being used in computers so they’re able to use that software to deal with the Dene fonts.
I’d like to ask the Minister, exactly, does he have the capacity in his department, or should he find an expert in that area to deal with the computer software challenges we’re facing in regard to…? The technology is the problem; it’s not the meeting with the language groups. I’d like to ask the Minister: do you have the capacity to deal with this through the technical difficulty?
Mr. Speaker, I think we do have that capacity with the Official Languages Board giving us some advice on moving forward with this particular piece of work. It is important for us. We are, as a department, looking at the technology sources. The First Dene and also the WinMac Dene fonts are in the Macintosh area. So we are moving into today’s technology. That is what we are faced with today. We are looking at options to move forward on this particular item on Dene fonts. It is recognized that we need to work with that. That’s what the aboriginal language groups are working with, with our department. Mahsi.
Short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to this issue I have been approached by the Gwich’in cultural institute to raise this issue in the House. They’ve been working with the department, making recommendations. They’ve even suggested people who have that expertise to work with their department who are working in other jurisdictions in Canada. I’d like to ask the Minister: why aren’t you taking the advice of those language organizations that have made these recommendations and acting on them?
I think we are acting on it. The recommendations that were brought forward by previous governments will be compiled. Those types of discussion will happen August 12–13, 2008, here in Yellowknife. It is an important discussion that we want to move forward on. Like we’ve said, this has been ongoing for a number of years now. I think it’s time to move forward. I’m looking to that, and my department is looking forward to working with the aboriginal groups on this issue. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, that’s the frustration that everyone’s feeling around here. It’s because the meeting that was supposed to take place yesterday and today was cancelled by his department. Now they’re telling the people, “We were going to talk about this issue yesterday and today, but wait till the fall. We’ll talk about it then.”
People can’t wait that long. I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly why isn’t his department realizing this is a critical problem we’re having in our communities — dealing with preparing documents and information — because of this situation? Yet there’s the technical ability as government to solve it by way of having expertise in-house to fund that solution. I’d like to ask the Minister if they can come back to this House with a schedule of exactly how soon you can react on this and, more importantly, if we will see some positive results and not wait for another conference next fall.
Mr. Speaker, it is this fall. With respect to moving forward on this, I’d like to listen to the aboriginal language groups as well — the board that we’ve established. Apparently there have been some challenges for them to meet. It may not have been that easy because there may not have been the board members available. We will continue, like I said, this fall. August 12 is the scheduled meeting, and we’ll do what we can as Education, Culture and Employment to make that happen.
I’d like to see that happen. I’d like to meet together with the Official Languages Board and also the Aboriginal Language Revitalization Board and highlight this as one of the priorities for the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
