Languages office aims to halt decline of Inuit language

Nunavut Languages Commissioner Sandra Inutiq, speaking before the legislative assembly’s standing committee on government operations April 17, describes her office’s plans and priorities. MLAs questioned the commissioner about efforts to preserve the Inuit language and uphold its status as an official language in the territory. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

The Inuit language may enjoy equal status with English and French in Nunavut, but the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut, Sandra Inutiq, says its use is declining too rapidly.

The education system is the first place to keep the language alive, Inutiq said, answering questions about her office’s work from MLAs sitting on the standing committee on government operations, which dealt with her annual report at meetings on April 16 and April 17.

“I find in the language acts, there is a gap in early childhood education,” Inutiq said, speaking just three months into her appointment as languages commissioner and two weeks after the Nunavut Official Languages Act was put into force.

Exposure to English starts at an early age, from daycare services in English to broadcast and electronic media, Inutiq told the MLAs.

Even if children are put in the Inuktitut stream of elementary school education, it’s very hard to reverse the move away from the Inuit language to English, she said.

“When it comes to protection and revitalization of the Inuit language, that’s one area we need to start looking at — what we can do to strengthen early childhood education.”

Inutiq gave this as a priority of her office, adding that there “has to be more inclusion of the Inuit language in the media.”

The oversight committee, which is made up of regular MLAs, questioned how the commissioner’s office would see to it that the “Inuit language” — including Inuktitut and all its various dialects — would be enforced as an official language of the territory, alongside English and French, and in equal priority.

“It is generally believed that the Inuktitut language is in the advanced state of erosion,” said John Ningark, MLA for Aqulliq, echoing the concern of committee members.

“I also believe we can reverse that, starting from early childhood education – I think that is a very good goal and objective. How do you propose to do that?”

Inutiq replied that her office has worked with the Department of Education and other agencies to strengthen the language act’s coverage of education.

Questions on how the language commissioner will protect and advance the Inuit language persisted throughout the committee hearing, with MLAs asking for more clarity on her four primary roles — identified as ombudsman, advocate, advisor and monitor on language rights.

The office of the commissioner, which is independent of the government but accountable to it, has the power to conduct a systemic revision within territorial government departments and agencies, whenever language rights are not met.

Such an investigation, of the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, is now underway.

MLAs suggested that many more of these could be conducted at other government departments. Tagak Curley, the MLA for Rankin Inlet North, highlighted hiring practices for jobs with the territorial government.

“You can be unilingual [English-speaker], and have all the advantages in terms of qualifications in most government positions that are advertised,” said Curley. “That’s why we have a majority of unilingual individuals working in government.”

Territorial policy on hiring individuals who speak the Inuit language falls short, he said, so the government cannot be held to account on promoting use of the language within its ranks.

“The office had stated it would do a systemic investigation of human resource practices, and then the office was told this was too heavy-handed,” Inutiq replied.

“So we decided to try power of persuasion — to try and work with the departments who are responsible for various human resource practices. It’s a balancing act this office faces, in terms of do you take a heavy hand, or do you try and work amicably with other departments.”

MLAs also pointed to trouble upholding the use of the Inuit language in the private sector.

“Sometimes the use of the Inuit language among employees in the workplace has gotten them into trouble,” Curley said. “That’s happened at the mine sites – tremendous conflict.”

Inutiq reminded that an exemption process exists to “accommodate” the private sector if it cannot comply with the Official Languages Act, or the Inuit Languages Protection Act, in cases where use of an official language causes too many complications on the job.