NTI tears new bills to pieces

Nunavut residents will get one last chance later this month to sound off on the Government of Nunavut's two new language bills, both of which have attracted hostile criticism from most of Nunavut's language lobby groups.

Between Oct. 18 and Oct. 22, the legislative assembly's Ajauqtiit committee, chaired by Akulliq MLA Steve Mapsalak, will hold public hearings in Iqaluit on Bill 6, the proposed new Official Languages Act, and Bill 7, the proposed new Inuit Language Protection Act.

MLAs on the Ajauqtiit committee have already received submissions – most of them negative – from groups such as Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Association des francophones du Nunavut.

In submissions dated Aug. 31 and Sept. 4, NTI, as Nunavut's official Inuit rights watchdog, subjected each bill to a prolonged mauling, citing numerous sections they don't like and listing the changes they're demanding.

Nancy Tupik, clerk of committees, said the hearings – which are open to the public – will likely be held in the assembly's main chamber instead of the small committee rooms they normally use.

She said people who want to speak or write to the committee must get in touch with the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly by Oct. 10. Iqaluit residents may view the hearings on cable channel 33, or listen to them on either the 94.9 or 93.7 FM frequencies.

After Oct. 22, Ajauqtiit MLAs will likely compile their recommendations into a report. That, in turn, may determine if MLAs pass the bill or hand it back to the government for a rewrite.

For their part, NTI and QIA have already said that if their demands aren't met, they won't support the bill.

In a 20-page submission, dated Aug. 31, on the proposed Inuit Language Protection Act, and an eight-page submission on the proposed Official Languages Act, NTI claims that – in their current form – the two new laws would not make the Inuit language equal in status to English and French.

Here are a few of of NTI's wide-ranging criticisms and the changes they're demanding:

Official Languages Act, Bill 6

• Despite a statement that says the Inuit language is "equal" to French or English, application of the new official language law would not lead to true equality;
• Nunavut laws published in the Inuit language would not be "legally authoritative" – to fix this, NTI says the GN should translate all territorial laws into the Inuit language and that the Inuit language versions should carry legal weight in court, just like the English and French versions;
• NTI says the new law would reduce the power and status of the Nunavut language commissioner and hand new powers to the languages minister – instead, NTI says the language commissioner's powers should be increased;
• NTI says it wants a say in the hiring and firing of language commissioners.

Inuit Language Protection Act

• NTI claims that the protection act does "little to ensure" that Inuit are encouraged and supported in using their language, and they don't like a provision that allows the GN to make knowledge of English a requirement in any job description;
• NTI says all GN employees must be required to take Inuit language training – right now the bill only says the GN must offer it to employees who want it;
• NTI says the right to work in the Inuit language is granted only to Nunavut government employees – but NTI says Inuit should gain that right in any workplace, whether private or public;
• NTI says 80 per cent of schooling in Nunavut should be delivered in Inuktitut, from kindergarten to Grade 12, by August of 2017, and that only 20 per cent of the curriculum should be in English;
• NTI says Inuit language competency targets should be required for Grade 12 graduation in Nunavut;
• NTI says the bill should force the GN to provide "adequate" Inuit language curriculum materials;
• NTI says all daycares should employ Inuit language speakers and that the GN should create "sufficient" early childhood education material in the Inuit language for use in daycares;
• The Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit, or "IUT" body should be more independent of the languages minister;
• The new bill should guarantee the right to communicate with police, nurses, doctors and so on in the Inuit language;
• NTI says governments, private sector, municipalities and the Nunavut Court of Justice should be given one year to comply with the protection law.