Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde. Screenshot from AFN General Assembly stream.
Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde wants work to begin immediately to preserve Indigenous languages, rather than waiting until the Liberal government passes its promised Indigenous Languages Act.
“We need to act now because no Indigenous language is safe,” said Bellegarde.
Indigenous leaders, as well as federal and provincial representatives, recently met in Quebec to discuss the preservation of Indigenous languages. There are about 60 of them in Canada, but most are in decline and some are close to vanishing.
Bellegarde says languages are central to First Nations culture and self-determination. He urged the provinces and territories to act immediately, and not wait until the federal legislation is passed.
He told representatives at the meeting there are things that could be done right now, including training fluent speakers, certifying them as teachers or adopting regulations to have them work in classrooms.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised an Indigenous Languages act in December of 2016. The government has been working with the AFN on the legislation, but there is no timetable for its introduction in the House of Commons.