Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask a few questions about the Official Languages Act and our languages boards and the lack of movement on making changes.
In the wake of the report in the 16th Assembly by the Committee on Government Operations into the Official Languages Act, in response to that report, at some point, the Minister promised to table an official languages strategy and I’d like to ask the Minister, first off, was that strategy ever tabled? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Honourable Minister, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since 2009 the Standing Committee on Government Operations released a final report on the Review of the Official Languages of the Northwest Territories. There have been several meetings since then with key stakeholders, such as FFTs, Aboriginal language groups and even as far as reaching out to both the Revitalization and Official Languages boards, talking about the amalgamation. Those are discussions that we will be having. This year I will be meeting with the board, seeking their input about the amalgamation prospects.
This has been a long time in the making. We made a lot of changes. This is a working document that we are currently working with the Aboriginal groups, and we’ll continue to do so. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks to the Minister. I understand that there’s been lots of talk; there’s been lots of getting together. However, there’s been no change. I asked the Minister about what he called an official languages strategy that he mentioned he was going to table in this House.
I again ask the Minister, does that strategy exist and has it ever been tabled? Thank you.
When it comes to Aboriginal languages, this is an area that’s obviously dear to my heart. I speak the language. I speak fluently in my language. I feel that we need to do more in this area.
When it comes to the Official Languages Act for the Northwest Territories, we have to deal with Aboriginal language groups. Sometimes it can be a very complex situation where Aboriginal language… There is a five-year strategic plan that’s been developed by Aboriginal language and we have to work with that. I am of the view that we need to have an integrated approach, coordinated approach with Aboriginal groups, and that’s what is happening now.
We’ve made changes to our contribution. We’ve increased our funding to $3.4 million to Aboriginal languages groups so they can hire their own coordinator and also deal with the language nests at the community level. So, we are making substantial changes along the way. This is a strategy that we need to work with all Aboriginal language groups. Mahsi.
I have to assume that there is no strategy; the Minister has not referenced it at all. I appreciate the work that Education, Culture and Employment has done in regards to languages, and I also, like the Minister, think Aboriginal languages and the preservation and advancement of Aboriginal languages is extremely important, and we are starting to work in that direction. But the Official Languages Act is a law, a piece of legislation, and the regulations that follow it require representation on our languages boards. It specifically asks for specific representation.
I’d like to ask the Minister, knowing that these recommendations go back more than five years now, why has the Minister allowed these boards to continue to operate in contradiction to our law? Thank you.
These two boards exist so they can provide advice to the Minister responsible for Official Languages – in that case the Minister responsible is myself – and seeking their advice throughout the Northwest Territories. Due to the fact we’ve devolved various changes to our overall official languages, one of them is the Francophone Language Secretariat, the Aboriginal Languages Secretariat is another one, and we’ve increased our contribution agreements to the Aboriginal governments. Those are changes based on their recommendation.
As I stated earlier, the next meeting of the boards will be at the end of this month, and I’m looking forward to the discussion of amalgamating the two boards into one. This work has been ongoing for quite some time now, based on the feedback that we received from the general public and Aboriginal language groups, and we’re moving forward on that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I have to say it’s a little late. It’s been five years since that recommendation was made by the standing committee in the 16th. I appreciate these changes that are happening, but if the Minister wants the boards to operate the way they are right now, he needs to have brought forward legislative change.
Why has the Minister waited this long? He’s presumably going to do something next week, but why has he waited and not brought forward a legislative proposal or suggestions for legislative change? Thank you.
We will be having a meeting with the board at the end of this month to seek their input, and then we’ll move forward on that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
