GN calls for “urgent action” on NTI report

The Government of Nunavut says “urgent action” is required to prevent any further loss of the Inuit language in the territory

The GN said in an Oct. 13 news release that it’s ready to “address the challenges and opportunities” laid out in a new report on the state of Inuit culture and language.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. released the 2009-10 report titled Our Primary Concern: Inuit Language in Nunavut on Oct. 12.

The report called on Inuit leaders, families, and youth to embrace the use of the Inuit language at home and in the community.

“Nunavut was created on the premise that Inuit language and culture will be fully protected and promoted in the new territory,” said James Arreak, Nunavut’s minister of languages, in the same release. “Nunavummiut now have tools, such as the Inuit Language Protection Act, to ensure that government and other organizations take concrete steps to revitalize and strengthen the use of the Inuit language throughout Nunavut society.”

The GN said it has shown great commitment to protecting and promoting the Inuit language, by creating an environment that allows the language to be used in classrooms, the workplace and through the services it delivers.

The government is currently finalizing Uqausivut, a comprehensive plan to implement Nunavut’s language legislation.

The GN said it’s working with territorial and regional organizations to ensure that plan meets the requirements of the legislation.

During the Oct. 12 launch of Our Primary Concern: Inuit Language in Nunavut, NTI leaders called on the GN to improve its use of Inuktitut in order to provide better services to the public.

“It’s unacceptable today for our elders not to be able to speak their language, when they have a message or a demand for the government, if the person answering at the other end of the phone does not have the capability to speak Inuktitut,” said NTI vice-president Jack Anawak.

Read the full report here.