:
[
Witness speaks in the Gwich'in language]
Good morning. I realize that I don't have a translator in the room so I will go ahead and translate for myself.
Voices: Oh, oh!
Ms. Sarah Jerome: Welcome to the Northwest Territories. Thank you for the invitation to appear before you this morning.
I must apologize, as I am not feeling very well this morning. I have a pinched nerve, but I came anyway, thinking that today I would feel better, but it seems a little worse this morning.
I have my legal adviser, Shannon Gullberg, here with me this morning. Shannon was the previous languages commissioner prior to my appointment in May of 2009 and has worked throughout the territories with the 11 official languages. Shannon lived here in Yellowknife and had direct contact with the francophone community, and also throughout the NWT, so I would prefer that Shannon do the presentation after I do my opening remarks. I just wanted to make you aware of that.
It has been quite a challenge working with nine official languages up here in the Northwest Territories. Having worked here all my life--I was born and raised here--and having been taken away to the residential school for 12 years, I kind of lost my language along the way, as have many others of our people who were taken away for about 12 years of their lives.
We have tried over the years to revitalize our language and to work to relearn our language. Some of our people have never been able to do that. I was very, very fortunate, as I had parents who took us back to the camp every summer for two months in an immersion situation, so we had no choice. My late mum spoke only the Gwich'in language. She did not speak English. Thank God for that: today I still have my language. But I cannot say that for the majority of our aboriginal language speakers up here.
Our languages have been on the decline over the years, so today we are working at doing everything we can to revitalize our language. It is being taught in the schools, but in order for the language to be taught it has to be taught in a natural environment, in an immersion situation, and possibly out on the land. It is being taught in the schools, so that's where we are right now.
With that, I would like to ask Shannon to proceed with the presentation.
Thank you.
:
We don't have anything formally written for you, but if the committee would like, maybe I would just make a few opening comments, perhaps reflecting or mimicking what Sarah has said.
Certainly with 11 official languages...and if you haven't been in the north before, just even getting to Yellowknife you can appreciate the vast geographical distances. You have a long way north to go yet before you actually get to the top of the Northwest Territories. The distances here are vast, and that is a huge issue. I don't believe it's insurmountable, but certainly it's a big issue.
So we have 11 official languages, huge geographical issues, and then, as Sarah indicated, we also have a history, if you will, that includes the legacy of residential schools. Not only was there no promotion of official languages, but it was frowned upon, to put it mildly, in terms of using some of the aboriginal languages. When you put all of that together, your starting point isn't good.
On a more positive note, there are a lot of good things going on. As Sarah indicated, there is a lot of language teaching in the schools. The former Minister of Education, Culture and Employment made a directive that there had to be second-language learning in all schools. The end result is that every child in the Northwest Territories in school is learning either French or an aboriginal language in addition to English. You can't avoid it. In a number of schools, and my children have had the benefit of this, not only has it been English and French; it's also been an aboriginal language as well, a Dogrib dialect. So when you put all of that together, it gives some hope that in fact good things will come out of that.
In the last 10 years, my experience has been that the government is far more cognizant of language issues. I think the Fédération franco-ténoise has played a large role in that by highlighting some of those issues and saying that we have to address these in some fashion.
To me, whether everyone agrees with the end result in some of the issues that come up isn't really the issue. The issue is that it highlights language, and people have to come up with some creative ways to move forward. I think it also gives hope that we will move forward in a positive direction.
Of course, money, I think, is always the bottom line. It's one of the big issues when it comes to government and coming up with those solutions. I think that's probably one of the bigger impediments right now.
We're glad to be here today. Welcome to the Northwest Territories and Yellowknife. I hope you enjoy what we refer to as northern hospitality.
:
Thank you very much for being here this morning.
It's indeed a pleasure--and I speak on behalf of my colleagues when I say this--to be here on behalf of the Parliament of Canada and to make the federal presence known. You have a wonderful, vibrant, beautiful community.
I am going to ask a few questions about official languages and your role as commissioner. In Ottawa we have Mr. Graham Fraser, appointed by the federal government, who of course gives progress reports to Parliament. But he is also--and I think he would agree--fairly vigilant, to the point of being almost critical of many of the steps the government is taking or not taking on any given day towards what he feels are the goals of official languages policy.
I must say that we've had a chance to read in advance the comments Minister Lafferty may make today, and I've heard your comments, and I understand the issue, which is that with so many official languages, there's an effort on all fronts. Would it be fair to say, however, that there isn't as precise a concentration on French as a second language, or French as a first language, an official language of Canada, when you have so many official languages to take care of?
I say that because the remarks from Minister Lafferty laud very much the efforts with respect to aboriginal languages, and I think you've obviously been making great strides there. But is there a danger that the épanouissement of the French language is being mixed in with that, and that it is not, from our point of view, being given as much due as it should?
I draw your attention also to the funds that have been transferred from the federal official languages program to the Northwest Territories. I guess the follow-up on that general question is the specific question of whether these moneys.... It may be ignorance on my part, but in the envelope of the development of federal official languages communities programs for the Government of Northwest Territories, for instance, the $3.2 million and so on, are those funds directed solely towards French as an official language, French and English as official languages, or official languages as mandated by your commission and your territorial law?
:
I'll answer first. Sarah has asked me to give my comments on your questions.
In regard to the first question, I think it's a legitimate question: does French sort of get into the mix when there are 11 languages and get overlooked? There's a long way to go, in my opinion, in terms of improving French language services--a long way to go.
However, going back to the initial comment I made, I think that largely due to some really good push on the part of the Fédération, there have been great strides made in providing French language services. For example, there's the French language centre here on Franklin. I don't know if you will have a chance to see that while you're here, but they can provide basic information on government services. The government has worked far more diligently in the last five or six years to make sure that publications are in English and French. So those strides have been made largely due to pushing, and yes, I think there has been some resistance.
I'll just add that for the French immersion education that kids can partake in here, my personal experience is that it's second to none, if you want to look across the country. I can say that based on my own children and their experiences.
So does the government have to move forward and improve things? Absolutely. Are they making strides? Yes.
I think the frustration actually goes more the other way, where those whose first language is an aboriginal language would say that the francophones get all of this and that they're not getting their share of the pie to do the same sorts of things. For example, where is the centre for Gwich'in, where they could access the same sorts of services in a centralized office, and in the other languages as well?
Where those types of facilities have been made available, it has been due to communities--again--really pushing. For example, in Behchoko, they have actively taken the stories of their elders and catalogued them, but that has been a real community initiative as opposed to government really pushing on that.
In short, I guess it's a matter of moving forward, but I think the bigger issue would be that people would perceive it as almost the opposite of perhaps the way you're looking at it.
In terms of the budget issue, I haven't really had a chance to look at that in the last two years. I don't know if Sarah feels comfortable commenting on that without taking a look at it. Minister Lafferty is probably your better bet on that.
I would like to begin by welcoming everyone, in particular the members whom I did not have the opportunity to meet yesterday, Messrs. Lauzon and Galipeau. I think that I had an opportunity meet the other members yesterday.
I shall begin without further delay. A copy of the brief, of which I shall read you an abridged version today, will be submitted to the committee.
According to the 2006 census, over 3,720 residents of the Northwest Territories are currently able to speak French, which is 9.1% of the total population; 2.6% the population of the People of the North have French as their first official language out of a total of approximately 41,055 residents; 8 out of every 10 Franco People of the North were born outside the Northwest Territories; a little over 9% of French speaking People of the North were born abroad. Yellowknife has a population comprising over 110 nationalities from all corners of the globe.
There is still work to be done when it comes to the federal government’s role in affirming and promoting francophone communities in the north under Part VII of the Official Languages Act. Allow me to elaborate.
Our community infrastructures, as you perhaps noticed yesterday, are the poorest in Canada. We still lack a physical space where the dynamic forces of community development can gather in one place. These resources are currently scattered throughout the capital, by sheer necessity.
Regretfully, the federal government missed an opportunity to largely resolve our infrastructure problem by failing to purchase the post office in 2009.
A declared surplus space managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada was sold to a third party for $100,000 less than what was offered by our federation. Five federal departments and organizations were involved in the part VII process prior to us losing the bid. We sought redress in the matter and the file is still before the Commissioner of Official Languages.
On February 15, 2008, we conducted a small in house inquiry into Part VII and the federal institutions. We wrote a letter to every federal NWT official for a total of 22 letters to members of the federal Council. Our intention was to secure a face to face meeting in order to exchange information on the programs and services offered by each institution. Moreover, our application was explicitly based on part VII of the act and called on the responsible authorities to establish what amounted in many cases to initial contact. The objective was to get a better understanding of their policies and programs. The response spoke volumes: 25% of the officials scheduled appointments and met with us; 25% opted instead for a group meeting with us and their counterparts thereby giving stakeholders an opportunity to get to know each other better and submit documentation. There was no response from the remaining 50%.
As far as the implementation of the 2008–2013 Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality is concerned, we are very proud to note Justice Canada’s encouragement of our youth; Canadian Heritage’s support for the establishment of our Collège des T.N.-O., the first ever francophone post secondary institution in Canada’s North; ongoing backing by Health Canada; the development of a start up project to support francophone immigration in the Northwest Territories; Canadian Heritage’s financial contribution to our community organizations’ minimal operational expenses; the support of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and of Canadian Heritage for a research project on the revitalization of the three Canadian Territories in conjunction with the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities in Moncton; the clear expression of support from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for closer cooperation between the three territories’ economic and community development collaborative bodies.
The standards governing the management of federal policies and programs are nevertheless generally applied to the letter. For example, certain projects targeting youth require the participation of at least 400 young people. If our federal institutions do not relax the rule regarding the number of participants, and take into account our northern experience and the ways in which we are different, we will not qualify for funding. Although our population is comparable percentage wise to that of the other Canadian provinces, we may end up marginalized if certain program application rules are not adjusted.
Part VII of the Official Languages Act is nevertheless clear about the obligation of result. The right to fair and equitable treatment is perhaps different because different needs justify different treatment. The CALDECH decision clarified this issue. Here are our demands. We want all forms of communication and services to be adapted to our northern experience. The constraints that we face in many areas accentuate the impact of any budget cuts, administrative delays, or lack of awareness about how we live and the major issues that affect us.
It is worth recalling the federal government’s undertaking in 1984 when the NWT government adopted its official languages act, which was based on the federal act. The Canadian government committed at the time to covering the cost of services to the francophone community. The court demonstrated that negotiations with the federal government had, for many years, been financially disadvantageous to these communities due to a policy of confident delegation, in spite of the obvious lack of a plan to implement the Official Languages Act. Part VII sets out an obligation of result and ensures that positive measures are taken in order to effect change.
I will now discuss the federal territorial consultation mechanisms to promote dialogue concerning the development of the francophone community.
According to the territorial budget, the territorial government is financially incapable of supporting our community in the same way that the Albertan and Manitoban governments support their communities. The Northwest Territories needs more support from Ottawa. The public is chronically misinformed in the NWT. In fact, the Legislative Assembly and the government claim that there are 11 official languages for which services are provided, however that is clearly not the case. Aboriginal communities do not have access to language related services as we are led to believe. Furthermore, these communities have neither the same demands nor constitutional rights. We respect their approach, but it is clear that they put other objectives first.
The government is in favour of Canadian Heritage, the President of the Treasury Board and Justice Canada encouraging federal institutions to cooperate with provincial governments in order to guarantee the implementation of part VII. However, in our opinion, the language provisions in the agreements lack teeth. This was particularly evident to us when we missed out on the purchase of the Yellowknife post office. There is a lack of consistency among federal departments and no clear Treasury Board policy on the matter.
We put a request in writing to the departments of Canadian Heritage, Justice Canada, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Public Works and Government Services, and the Treasury Board calling on them to intervene. The correspondence dates back to March 2009. We referred to their obligations under part VII, the community’s dire and urgent infrastructure needs. In spite of this, we missed out on the opportunity to purchase the post office premises after offering $1.2 million at stage two of the bargaining process, the list price. The building was ultimately sold for $1.1 million. And yet, it met the majority of our community’s needs and was situated at a strategic and central location in the community. We lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Official Languages and have waited two years for a response.
In closing, we would like the federal government to consider a different operating model that takes into consideration the northern experience. The consultation and cooperation committee was created by the government and the Fédération franco-ténoise to establish, promote, evaluate and adopt a plan to implement the Official Languages Act of the Northwest Territories and guarantee the provision of information and services in French. As a member of this committee, we are proposing an innovative and economical solution that promises to be effective.
Rather than adopting a cookie-cutter approach to the federal model of bilingual and unilingual positions, which was clearly not as successful as expected, we favour the establishment of service teams. We are proposing a French language one stop shop for the community in which the federal government could set the tone and consolidate a number of federal services within a bilingual service centre, supported by the community. Territorial, and even some municipal services, could be incorporated. The centre would be loosely based upon the Manitoban model, only improved and tailored to the northern experience. The federal model of designated bilingual positions was not very effective at meeting the objective of guaranteeing services of equal quality, and was costly, thus the need to adapt it. The model is even less suitable for northern Canada largely because of the region’s high employee turnover. We may end up training bilingual employees only to lose them one by one. We would constantly have to start from scratch and, in the meantime, would fail to provide quality services.
If the government were to create a sufficient number of positions as part of a bilingual team, there would be a greater likelihood of consistently providing quality services. This would not preclude the strategic allocation of a number of bilingual positions in departments and agencies. Our community has expressed an interest in prioritizing services, and responding smartly and flexibly to support the gradual and systematic introduction of services. The expert panel reviews the development of this concept, its underlying principles, the rules governing its implementation, and the legal grounds that underpin it. The panel is comprised of high level outside experts, but is not currently sitting due to a lack of funding.
[Witness speaks in the Tlicho language]
First of all, Mr. Chair, I'd like to welcome you and thank you for coming to the Northwest Territories. I believe this is your first official visit. I'm sure it won't be the last. I'm hoping that you guys will come back again.
I'll just introduce the party I have with me here.
I'm Jackson Lafferty, the minister responsible for official languages, education, culture, and employment, the Minister of Justice, and also a member of the Legislative Assembly for Monfwi riding, a Tlicho riding in the four communities I represent in the Northwest Territories.
I have with me Deputy Minister Dan Daniels, Department of Education, Culture and Employment; Mr. Benoît Boutin, senior adviser with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment; Lorne Gushue, official languages consultant with the Department of Health and Social Services; Sonya Saunders, director, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment; and Laura Gareau, director, Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. That's all within the GNWT.
Members, yesterday during your visit, it was very unfortunate that I couldn't address you in the House. We got in between the timing of our sessions, but I did mention to the premier that you guys were in town and the purpose of why you're here. They were very enthusiastic and excited--even our Speaker. The Speaker was ready to address you guys, but as I said, it was all in the timing.
But it's all good now. I believe you had the opportunity to tour the Legislative Assembly. It's part of our uniqueness here in the Northwest Territories, and I guess that throughout Canada it can be admired. We're proud of it.
You had an opportunity to witness and to see us in action as a consensus government. We are one of the two consensus style of governments in Canada, rather than the more familiar system of party politics that we share all over the country. The consensus style of government is more in keeping with the way aboriginal peoples have traditionally made decisions within the form of a circle. Within this system, all members of the Legislative Assembly are elected as independents in their own constituencies, so it is important that we all work together in a cooperative and respectful manner in the House and proceedings to make sure that we make progress on issues and matters that are of importance, even if we have different views.
Mr. Chair, we are talking about languages. Language is an important piece of what I guess we can call history, but it's our identity: it is who we are and how we understand and interact with each and every one of us around this table here as well.
The Northwest Territories is unique in Canada because we have 11 official languages that are recognized by our Legislative Assembly and by the Government of the Northwest Territories.
In 1984 the Government of the Northwest Territories enacted the Official Languages Act. The establishment of the act was initially driven by French language rights, but formed the basis for an entrenchment and subsequent expansion of aboriginal language rights within the legislative framework of the Northwest Territories.
The enactment of this act, which gave legal recognition to English, French, and aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories, has resulted in considerable efforts being devoted to consolidating and implementing the official languages policy in the Northwest Territories.
The act provides a legislative framework for the establishment of the equality of status between French and English and for the advancement of equality of status of official aboriginal languages within government. As well, Mr. Chair, the act also has provisions for the appointment of the official languages commissioner and the tabling of the annual report. As you've mentioned, the official languages commissioner was before you.
The act also makes a special provision for the mandatory review of the administration and implementation of the act, the effectiveness of its provisions, and the achievement of the objectives stated in its preamble. It may also include any recommendations for changes to the act. Since 1984, a number of attempts to revitalize aboriginal languages and provide meaningful French language services in the face of a steady language shift toward English have been made.
Since the enactment of the act, Canada and the NWT negotiated several funding agreements under the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement for French and Aboriginal Languages in the Northwest Territories. For the last 10 years, the agreements have been signed with minimal or no success in obtaining additional funding.
To summarize all the activities related to official languages since 1984 would take days, weeks, and even months or years; however, for the benefit of your committee, I would like to touch on some of the main issues arising from French and aboriginal languages.
Last year, the GNWT and the Fédération franco-ténoise created a consultation and cooperation committee. The mandate of the committee is to facilitate consultation on the GNWT's drafting, implementation, administration, and promotion of a strategic plan for the provision of French language communications and services under the Official Languages Act.
The committee is carrying out its work in two main phases: the initial drafting phase, and the implementation, administration, and promotion phase. So far, there have been two meetings, and the next meeting is scheduled for April.
The strategic plan will contain provisions on the active offer, in French, of methods to assess the oral and written capacity of employees occupying bilingual positions and the evaluation of the competency of French interpreters in health services. You've heard about some of this from previous speakers.
The previous year was also a significant year for the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, which we're very proud to have hosted. The Conference on the Canadian Francophonie is a key stakeholder in intergovernmental actions aimed at strengthening the Canadian social fabric through the advancement of the Canadian francophonie. The conference's commitment can be seen in the active participation of the federal, provincial, and territorial governments in this important forum.
Last June, for the first time, the NWT hosted the ministers annual meeting, which gave an opportunity to the ministers responsible for the Canadian francophonie to increase their understanding of the cohabitation of the francophonie and aboriginal languages in Canada and their knowledge of the reality of the Nordic francophonie experience in the Northwest Territories.
Since hosting this event, I am now the chair of the conference until the next meeting in June 2011 in Moncton-Dieppe, New Brunswick.
On November 23, 2010, I met with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable , to discuss the plight of aboriginal languages, which are in dire need of assistance. Over the years, our partnership with the Government of Canada, through the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement for French and Aboriginal Languages, has allowed for many activities to be undertaken. Clearly, there is more work to be done, and I stressed the importance of our working together to revitalize aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories.
The revitalization of aboriginal languages will be successful only if aboriginal people make it a priority and if governments are able to respond with support. To that end, I, along with Kevin Menicoche, chair of our Standing Committee on Government Operations, held a three-day aboriginal language symposium from March 30 to April 1, 2010. Over 200 northerners from each of the official language communities attended the symposium and discussed critical challenges and priorities for revitalizing aboriginal languages.
The information generated from the symposium formed part of a strategy entitled “Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Plan: A Shared Responsibility”. The plan was tabled in the legislative assembly in our October 2010 session and it is the plan that I also shared with Minister .
The development of the plan was a collaborative approach and effort involving many people across the Northwest Territories. It's not just our department that is going to implement it; it will take the whole community of the Northwest Territories. It not only reflects the priorities of the people of the Northwest Territories, but also recognizes that languages strengthen our society and underpin our cultural perspective.
The plan outlines the strategies to strengthen people's understanding of aboriginal languages, encourages them to use their languages, and establishes practical approaches to delivering government services in those languages. Sometimes it can be a challenge with nine aboriginal languages, but we are making ends meet.
This year, Mr. Chair, will be an active year. We are developing a full implementation plan for the aboriginal languages strategy. Once it's completed, we will start implementation in partnership with the French community, with their strategic plan for French services.
With its great diversity of people and places, the NWT is an exciting place to live. The Northwest Territories has undergone changes in the past and will continue to experience change in the future as well. However, one thing remains constant, and that is the need for us to have a strong sense of our identity. That sense of identify is found in our culture and heritage, including our language.
Many factors impact language loss, including media, technology, the aging population, the loss of our elders, and the impact of our residential school era. The residential school impacts on language and culture were mentioned by the in June 2008 during his very moving and important national apology. These thoughts were echoed by the truth and reconciliation commissioners, Mr. Willie Littlechild and Ms. Marie Wilson, at the Northwest Territories aboriginal languages symposium held in April of last year in Yellowknife.
Mr. Chair, in my travels through our communities across the Northwest Territories, I have had the privilege, opportunity, and pleasure of discussing aboriginal languages with so many people. It is clearly an issue on peoples' minds and is of great importance to them. Our leaders and elders have said, “If we lose our language, we lose our identity and lessen who we are as a people”.
In conclusion, Mr. Chair, I would like to invite all of you for another visit to the Northwest Territories. Although this visit has been a short one, it has been a worthwhile visit. Another visit could be an excellent opportunity to visit our French schools and to discuss language issues with our aboriginal languages communities.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Lauzon.
[English]
It's now time to conclude this great meeting.
I would like once again, Minister, to thank you for coming to our committee for this premiere. Thanks again also for welcoming us at the Legislative Assembly yesterday. The comments of your assistant, Mr. Boutin, were very instrumental in giving us a better understanding of your challenges.
Hon. Jackson Lafferty: He's a good man.
The Chair: Yes, he sure is, and he speaks French.
Mr. Guy Lauzon: He's been here for 21 years.
The Chair: Yes, he has, for 21 years.
If we lose our language, we lose our identity and lessen who we are as a people, so thank you for promoting this. We can feel your attachment, especially to the native language.
Even though it's not the direct mandate of this committee, I think by promoting this linguistic duality here in the Northwest Territories, you make this country a better place.
Before we conclude, I have one favour to ask, and that is whether it is possible to have our picture taken with you once we sum up this meeting. Thank you.
Hon. Jackson Lafferty: Thank you.
The Chair: The meeting is adjourned.