Let's celebrate Indigenous languages

Governor General's use of Inuktitut in her installation address spoke volumes, Denis Gros-Louis writes

On Monday, I was very pleased to hear Canada's new Governor General,

Her Excellency The Right Honourable Mary Simon, use Inuktitut in her address to the people of Quebec and Canada, and the entire world.

Now, I invite everyone to celebrate the founding languages of Quebec and Canada: the Indigenous languages of the First Nations and Inuit.

Thousand-year-old Indigenous languages that welcomed colonists are deeply woven into Canada's cultural mosaic from coast to coast to coast. I am proud to pay tribute to these invaluable Indigenous languages and to welcome the new Governor General.

Simon's personal and professional career has been absolutely remarkable. A bilingual Inuk from Quebec, she has been the president of Makivik Corporation and the Inuit Circumpolar Council, chancellor of Trent University, chairperson of the National Committee on Inuit Education, and the Canadian ambassador to Denmark, among other posts.

Simon was directly involved with the implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, and participated in the negotiations leading to the patriation of the Constitution. She was co-director of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and negotiated the creation of the Arctic Council. She is the founder of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, and an honorary witness of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She has been awarded 11 honorary doctoral degrees, and has received many other honours.

The First Nations Education Council, which represents 22 First Nations communities throughout Quebec, seeks to promote, preserve and safeguard Indigenous language instruction in our schools. These efforts are combined with the difficult task of preparing students for mandatory French-language exit exams. I hope Simon's career will motivate and inspire First Nations and Inuit children and youth to bravely overcome the colonial barriers and systemic racism that pervade our society to this day.

Those who suggest that the Governor General of Canada is expected to have complete command of English and French, while ignoring her superior capabilities and contributions to the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, as well as her experience as a senior government official, reveal the ongoing impact of Canada's attempts to achieve the cultural and linguistic assimilation of Indigenous Peoples across the country.

Simon is in fact fully bilingual. She is fluent in English and Inuktitut. Her inability to speak French can be traced easily to the fact that like many First Nations and Inuit children in the 1950s, she was forced to attend a federal day school and follow the imposed curriculum of the day.

In a context where we are seeking reconciliation, we should acknowledge Simon's determination and dedication in accepting a role from Canada's colonial past; she herself being subject to Canada's linguistic assimilation efforts.

Linguistic diversity among Canada's Indigenous Peoples is indisputable. More than 60 Indigenous languages grouped into 12 distinct language families were reported in 2011 in Canada. First Nations and Inuit are working relentlessly to teach and transmit their own languages to today's generation and the ones to come. Their inherent right to do so is protected by Section 35 of the Constitution Act 1982, and must be interpreted in light of international law.

Nevertheless, most Indigenous languages are faced with extinction. According to UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, many Indigenous languages in Canada are in danger of disappearing. UNESCO's atlas reports that three-quarters of Indigenous languages in Canada are “definitely,” “severely” or “critically” endangered.

With the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages set to begin next year, let us welcome Canada's linguistic diversity and Governor General Simon's inspiring installation speech. Indigenous languages, along with French and English, can, and must find their rightful place in this country.

Nakurmiik! Merci! Thank you! Tiawenhk!