In December 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government would be developing legislation to support the revitalization Indigenous languages in Canada. In his announcement, he stated that, “our government will enact an Indigenous Languages Act, co-developed with Indigenous Peoples, with the goal of ensuring the preservation, protection, and revitalization of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit languages in this country.”
The First Peoples’ Cultural Council held regional sessions in May and June 2017 to talk about the promised Indigenous language legislation for Canada. Our goal was to ensure that B.C. language experts would be well-informed so that when the national Assembly of First Nations (AFN) conducted its consultations, everyone would be prepared to provide input.
FPCC compiled a report based on the information we gathered at these sessions, and First Nations communities are also encouraged to develop their own position papers to submit to the Minister of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the National AFN.
Click here to download FPCC’s report: Indigenous Language Legislation Engagement Sessions: Community Report
More information about the AFN’s regional sessions:
The national Assembly of First Nations has been hosting a series of engagement sessions to hold more in-depth discussions and engagement around the development of legislation. The remaining sessions for the fall are as follows:
October 11 – 12, 2017
Halifax, NS
Register
October 18 – 19, 2017
First Nations National Roll Up
Ottawa, ON
Register
Contact: Larry Whiteduck, Acting Senior Coordinator of Languages
Assembly of First Nations
Email: lwhiteduck@afn.ca
Phone: 1-613-241-6789 x. 237