March 1, 2011 - On the first day of Aboriginal Languages Month, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment highlighted the work the GNWT is doing to strengthen Aboriginal Languages.
Mr. Speaker, languages are about identity – who we are and how we understand and interact with each other. Promoting Aboriginal languages encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and family and cultural values.
In 1993, the Assembly of First Nations declared the month of March “Aboriginal Languages Month”. Since then, the Northwest Territories honours Aboriginal languages and cultures in March. This year, we not only celebrate Aboriginal languages through the initiatives in place for 2011 but also recognize the achievements of 2010.
Mr. Speaker, 2010 was a very active year for our Aboriginal languages, starting with the Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Symposium. The information generated from the Symposium formed part of the Aboriginal Languages Plan. The strategy: “Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Plan - A Shared Responsibility” was tabled during the October 2010 Session of the Legislative Assembly.
The development of the Plan was a collaborative effort involving many people across the Territory. It reflects not only the priorities of the people in the Northwest Territories, but also recognizes that languages strengthen our society and underpin our culture. Implementing this plan will help us strengthen awareness of our Northern uniqueness and identity, part of this Assembly’s vision for a strong and independent North built on partnerships.
The over-arching theme of this document is - A Shared Responsibility - because the participants at the Symposium told us the revitalization, preservation and maintenance of Aboriginal Languages in the territory is the responsibility of all stakeholders.
Mr. Speaker, 2011 will also be an active year. We are developing a full Implementation Plan for the Aboriginal Languages Strategy, which will outline timeframes and give more detail to the actions and outcomes proposed in the Strategy.
The work plan is framed over a ten-year period and will address issues including government services, education programming, actions required to support revitalization and language community activities.
Next summer, the Government of the Northwest Territories hosts the second Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Summer Institute - a partnership between the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the University of Victoria Certificate Program in Aboriginal Language Revitalization.
The partnership with the University of Victoria program benefits from the University’s relationship with the En'owkin Centre, the post-secondary educational institution of the Okanagan First Nations known for its commitment to language revitalization. The two-week Institute brings together community language workers and teachers representing official Aboriginal languages of the Northwest Territories. It is our goal that this and other initiatives will enable more people to speak their Aboriginal language in the coming years.
Mr. Speaker, Aboriginal Languages Month is a good opportunity to recognize the hard work of the language communities and applaud them for their on-going dedication to ensuring their languages flourish.
This government is committed to continuing its support of language and cultural activities. The involvement of each of the language communities is essential if we are to protect, maintain and strengthen language usage.
We hope all Aboriginal language speakers, language students and, indeed, all Northerners enjoy the celebration of language and culture in their communities during Aboriginal Languages Month.
Masi Mr. Speaker.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier/Cabinet
Government of the Northwest Territories
Phone: (867) 669-2302