GN asks Supreme Court to kill NTI lawsuit over Inuit-language education
Nunavut Court of Appeal earlier upheld NTI’s three-year-old lawsuit alleging discrimination
The Government of Nunavut is turning to the Supreme Court of Canada in its legal fight with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., over Inuit-language education. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Updated on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 at 10:45 p.m. ET
The Government of Nunavut has asked the Supreme Court to hear its case in its ongoing legal battle with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., over Inuit-language instruction.
The government wants the Supreme Court of Canada to hear its appeal of a Nunavut Court of Appeal decision that allowed for NTI’s lawsuit against the government to continue.
“An appeal to the Supreme Court may be an avenue to settle the key legal issues in this litigation at relatively minimal cost to the parties,” a news release issued by the Premier’s office late Friday afternoon said.
But NTI says it’s “dismayed” that the government continues to try to prevent the case from going to trial.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok said his government is “committed to ensuring all Nunavut students can attend school in Inuktut.”
Akeeagok wants the Supreme Court to kill the lawsuit so the government and NTI can work together on a solution.
“Going to court is not the answer,” Akeeagok was quoted as saying the news release.
NTI president Aluki Kotierk said her organization is “baffled” by the GN’s actions.
“[They] continue to use existing resources to delay a trial in court against NTI, Inuit students and families, who simply ask to be treated equally,” Kotierk was quoted as saying in a news release Thursday.
Education Department staff are “diligently working” on the Inuktut curriculum, the release quoted Education Minister Pamela Gross as saying.
But progress isn’t fast enough for NTI, whose lawsuit calls for a five-year plan to implement Inuit language from kindergarten to Grade 12.
In September Nunavut’s appeal court sided with NTI, rejecting the GN’s attempt to kill the lawsuit NTI brought in October 2021 — more than three years ago.
NTI, the organization responsible for ensuring Nunavut received the benefits they’re entitled to under the Nunavut Agreement, sued the Nunavut government, saying the government had failed to provide Inuktut education in the territory.
The NTI lawsuit cited Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which prevents discrimination on the basis of language. NTI has argued a lack of Inuit-language education has eroded the use of Inuktut, lowered educational attainment as well as graduation rates among Inuit students.
Since the lawsuit was filed, the GN has been trying to block it. In April 2023, the GN appealed a court ruling allowing the lawsuit to proceed. In September the Nunavut Court of Appeal upheld that decision.
This article was updated to include a response from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
And who will teach those 12 grades in Inuktitut? We can barely operate a daycare in Inuktut.
If NTI’s lawsuit costs more than one dollar then it is a complete waste of the amount above the dollar
Wow, The GN simply doesn’t appear to get it. They would rather waste efforts and resources to fight this battle.
Same old story with the GN.
Wow, NTI doesn’t seem to get it. They’d rather waste time and resources trying to use the courts to extract money from the GN that it doesn’t have instead of using their time and resources to create and construct their own Inuktut only private school.
Inuktut education ship has sailed. English is here to stay. Time to focus that energy on real problems
IKR?
Time to learn Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish and Filipino. And… Jamaican 💖
Actually based on Canadian trends. It’s Punjabi. And sometimes Arabic, especially if you’re into the whole marrying a 6 year old religion.
Nunavut could have become bilingual like many countries and subnational areas–including Wales, Jamaica and South Tirol. For Inuit. English is the language of business, commerce and the internet. Having failed to educate Inuit for the professional and managerial positions, with Inuktitut the working language, Inuit leaders have irredeemably lost Inuktitut. Some time ago I asked why an apprentice tradesman in Iqaluit, then in his forties was not by now certified. Answer: he doesn’t read and write well enough to do the paperwork. Inuktitut in school? It’s too late. Going if not yet gone.
Interesting, but NTI could do a better job in keeping it’s own. House in order.
In a poor effort to communicate, they disregard Inuinnaqtun totally. Contrary to the Laguages Act
NTI can you say hypocrit?
Hipocrit is right. NTI love pointing fingers and lawsuits but can’t come up with a plan for anything. NTI= Not Talking Inuktut
NTI- Nothing to Inuit
lol
I remember attending nakashuk school in Inuktitut class from grade 2 to 4 and when I changed to English in grade 5 I did not know how to read or write at all. I blame them for not giving me the lack of knowledge
Them? NTI? Your parents? The school? I’m not clear who you were blaming.
Let’s be serious for a minute, how many teachers would you need to speak Inuktitut across the territory? Lets say 100. Where are we going to get these teachers? Are they trained to teach? Just because you can speak the language, doesn’t mean your a teacher. Is there 100 people in the territory that wants to teach? It’s a big responsibility to teach and not to mention go to work everyday, from my 11 years here in the territory, it always seems hard to get Inuit to work 5 days a week. I think NTI needs to be realistic and not waste money on lawsuits where they are part of the problem.
C’mon NTI use some of the money to create some 2 year Inuktitut Language program, grammar manuals, exams, phonetics all of that, and make it an online program.
Those who want to learn can do it on their own time, with online classes with reasonable hours during the day and evening if necessary.
Dialects will take care of themselves in each region.