http://www.aboriginallanguagestaskforce.ca/e/e_index.html
Here is a site from a task force that was struck to provide recommendations on the protection of aboriginal culture and languages to the Canadian Department of Heritage.
The task force held extensive consultations with community groups in 2004 and made some strong recommendations regarding language and culture protection.
The 25 recommendations of the task force were:
Task Force Recommendations
The Link between Languages and the Land
That First Nation, Inuit and Métis governments and the federal, provincial and territorial governments enter into government-to-government agreements or accords on natural resources, environmental sustainability and traditional knowledge. The agreements or accords should recognize the importance for First Nation, Inuit and Métis people of maintaining a close connection to the land in their traditional territories, particularly wilderness areas, heritage and spiritual or sacred sites, and should provide for their meaningful participation in stewardship, management, co-management or co-jurisdiction arrangements.
Protection of Traditional Knowledge
That Canada take a more comprehensive approach on the protection, use and benefits arising from traditional knowledge under the international Convention on Biological Diversity and that greater recognition be accorded to First Nation, Inuit and Métis people, particularly the Elders, in the collaborative planning process under the Convention.
Legislative Recognition, Protection and Promotion
That Canada enact legislation that recognizes, protects and promotes First Nation, Inuit and Métis languages as the First Languages of Canada. This legislation, to be developed in partnership with First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples, must recognize the constitutional status of our languages; affirm their place as one of the foundations of First Nation, Inuit and Métis nationhood; provide financial resources for their preservation, revitalization, promotion and protection; and establish the position of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Language Commissioner.
Equitable Resources for Language Support
That Canada provide funding for First Nation, Inuit, and Métis languages which is, at a minimum, at the same level as that provided for the French and English languages.
Language Support from All Federal Departments
That funding for First Nation, Inuit and Métis languages not be limited to that provided by the Departments of Canadian Heritage, and Indian Affairs and Northern Development. All government departments, and particularly the Departments of Justice, Health, and Human Resources and Skills Development, need to adopt policies and provide funding sufficient to allow for delivery of services and programs which promote First Nation, Inuit and Métis languages, in the same manner as for the French and English languages.
Restitution and Reconciliation
That Canada implement as soon as possible the recommendation of the Assembly of First Nations to pay a lump-sum award by way of compensation to any person who attended an Indian Residential School. Alternatively, Canada and the churches establish a restitution fund to pay a lump-sum award to any person who attended an Indian Residential School, as compensation for emotional and psychological trauma brought on by loss of connection to family and community and to language and culture.
A National Language Strategy
That a National Language Strategy be developed through community-based planning by First Nation, Inuit and Métis language communities, as well as by their regional and national representative organizations, with coordination and technical support to be provided by the proposed national language organization.
Baseline Language Survey
That as the first component of a national long-term strategy, the national language organization coordinate a baseline survey of language conditions. The baseline survey will be conducted by First Nation, Inuit and Métis people as part of community-based language planning and needs assessments. Further, we recommend that funding for this work be provided separately from current commitments.
Funding of Critically Endangered Languages
That Canada provide funding, in addition to what will be available under the current commitment, for those First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities whose languages are critically endangered, in order that they may undertake additional work to preserve their languages.
Funding of Immersion Programs
That Canada provide additional funding for First Nation, Inuit and Métis language immersion programs, at a level equivalent to that provided for the French and English languages through the Minority-Language Education component of the Development of Official-Language Communities Program.
Funding of Immersion Programs for Youth
That Canada make available bursaries to enable First Nation, Inuit and Métis youth to attend five-week immersion courses in their languages and cultures in the same manner as is provided to French and English youth in the Second-Language Learning component of the Enhancement of Official Languages Program.
Equitable Funding for First Nation Schools
That funding of First Nation schools by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development be provided at the same level and standard as that provided to Ministries of Education through Master Tuition Agreements.
Language Education in Correctional Institutions
That the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Commissioner of Corrections use their powers under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to provide federal funding for language programming and strengthen cultural programming to federally incarcerated First Nation, Inuit, and Métis persons.
Training Opportunities for Post-Secondary Students
That Canada, and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada establish, as part of their Action Plan on Aboriginal education, a program to encourage First Nation, Inuit and Métis university students entering the teaching profession, particularly in language education, to become proficient in their languages by entering into master–apprentice programs or undertaking other cultural education in their communities. Specifically, that summer bursaries or employment programs be made available in the same manner as is provided for French and English youth language training programs.
Language Teacher Training
That First Nation, Inuit and Métis organizations and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada conduct a review of progress made on First Nation, Inuit and Métis teacher and language teacher training initiatives relevant to recruitment and retention. Further, as part of this review, that the role of First Nation, Inuit and Métis post-secondary institutions in delivering language teacher training be reviewed, particularly with respect to immersion language teacher training.
First Nation, Inuit and Métis Post-Secondary Institutions
That the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development provide additional resources to First Nation, Inuit and Métis post–secondary and existing institutions to enable them to establish language teacher training programs and, more specifically, immersion language teacher training programs.
A National Language Organization
That a permanent body of First Nation, Inuit and Métis representatives (Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Council or “LCC”) be established.
Establishment of the LCC
That current Task Force members be named as Interim Council members and have the responsibility of establishing the LCC. The Interim Council members will act for a period of one year and carry out the following duties:
- finalize the governance structure of the LCC;
- develop a three-year strategic plan;
- establish operations by preparing operating budgets, identifying staffing requirements and recruiting staff;
- negotiate transfer of Aboriginal language funds from Canadian Heritage;
- develop terms of reference and oversee a planning study for a language clearing house;
- plan and carry out the necessary research for implementation of a baseline survey and community-based language planning;
- seek nominations for the LCC; and
- shortlist candidates and provide list to national First Nation, Inuit and Métis organizations for final selection.
Provision of Services to French-Language Speakers
That funding be provided under the Official Languages Support programs to enable the LCC to provide a full range of services to French language speaking First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Use of Short-Term Funding
That the existing commitment of $160 million be provided on an urgent basis to First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities for language preservation and revitalization efforts over a five-year period, rather than the proposed 10-year timeframe, taking into consideration the critical state of languages and the needs identified by the communities.
Establishing a Language Endowment Fund
That Canada provide funding to establish an endowment fund to finance community-based language programs in perpetuity.
Administration of Short-Term Funding
That the majority of funds committed by Canada be decentralized to allow existing First Nation, Inuit and Métis language decision-making structures to continue with their work. The current national allocation of funding under the Aboriginal Languages Initiative, that is, 75 percent to First Nation languages, 15 percent to Inuit languages and 10 percent to Métis languages, should be maintained until a long-term national language strategy is developed and implemented within the next five years.
Allocation of Interim Funding to First Nation Languages
That regional funding allocations for First Nation languages take into account varying populations and languages. Funding formulas should be developed which provides for base funding at the current level, with additional funding adjustments made for regions having large populations and many language communities.
National Projects Fund
That ten percent (10%) of the annual budget allocation from the $160-million commitment be set aside to establish a National Projects Fund to be administered by the LCC, in partnership with the national First Nation, Inuit and Métis political organizations.
National Projects Fund
That Canada provide funding to the LCC for the creation of an Innovative Projects Fund that will support innovative projects, research and the use of new technology in language education and revitalization efforts. The Innovations Project Fund is to be established with funding separate from the $160-million dollar commitment and should reflect participation and support by all federal government ministries.
While the Liberal government of the day had backed the recommendations, it seem Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were not as supportive… Here is a story from the CBC archives in 2007….
From a 2007 news story on cbc.ca
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/aboriginals/endangered-languages.html
In November 2007, the federal government under Stephen Harper’s Conservatives cut the $172 million earmarked by the Liberals for aboriginal language preservation, saying aboriginal organizations had not come up with plans on how to spend the federal money. At the time, the Assembly of First Nations said the claim was not true.
Currently, the Department of Canadian Heritage manages what it calls its Aboriginal Languages Initiative, which provides about $5 million in annual funding to aboriginal communities across Canada to support community-based language projects.