Canadian Heritage Committee on Feb. 20th, 2019

[Prof. Dwight Newman]

I'd say that issues regarding education are going to require further steps that go beyond what's contained in this bill. They're an important further step, a context in which it's necessary to offer further support for indigenous languages. Hopefully, the commissioner's office will help to identify that as well within the context of this bill. It would be a much larger discussion to get into specific steps in that context, but I would say that that's an important area for further initiatives.

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

The bill highlights, in clause 9, as mentioned earlier by National Chief Bellegarde, the facilitation and cooperation with provincial governments, indigenous governments and other indigenous governing bodies, as well as even municipalities and local level governments and organizations. With your experience, how do you actually facilitate that? How do you go about expediting the processes contained within this whole bill—cooperation with the different levels of government and the indigenous community, as well as other organizations that might have an interest in this bill?

[Prof. Dwight Newman]

There's a lot of work ahead in that regard. There will need to be clear and open lines of communication between the federal office involved and all of these other entities it needs to engage with, in terms of provincial and indigenous governments. There's a challenging task ahead for the commissioner. Choose the commissioner wisely. Get the very best person you can in that role, someone who's going to have good lines of communication.

That said, in a federation, it's not easy or appropriate to force provincial governments to take steps, but I would hope all would be enthusiastic to participate in such an important project as the revitalization of indigenous languages.

[Richard Marceau]

The question was also directed to us. What you described to Chief Bellegarde earlier, about what's happening in your region, seems to be a very interesting microcosm of what can happen when people on the ground get different levels of government together and decide to make it a priority. We believe that is a goal of this bill. I would suggest that the commissioner, whoever he or she is, look at what is happening in your region.

Another point I want to make, and it goes back to a point Mr. Yurdiga made earlier, is about who can teach. When we were at the UN at the beginning of this month for the launch of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, it was fascinating to speak to a lot of people from different indigenous nations across Canada, who said, “We have a limited number of speakers who could teach our children. Unfortunately, they're not sanctioned to teach in school, because they didn't go to teachers' college, and thus cannot have access to the kids. They are the only ones who can really teach our children, who can not only pass on the language, but also the culture and the values that this language carries.”

Certainly, I would urge the government and the commissioner that that be one of the primary focuses of actionable items when the time comes to put this bill into force and action.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dabrusin]

That brings you to the end of your time.

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dabrusin]

Thank you to all of you, and for allowing us to have a little pause in there.

That brings this meeting to an end, and we'll see....

[Gordie Hogg, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Could we ask the analysts to refer the testimony of Mr. Newman to legal counsel for comment?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dabrusin]

We're getting more testimony from other witnesses. Can we just talk about that at a later moment? I will speak to the analysts and get back to you on that one.

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.