Canadian Heritage Committee on May 5th, 2026

Evidence of meeting #36 for Canadian Heritage in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was support.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Main Estimates 2026-27: Vote 1 under Canada Council for the Arts, Votes 1, 5 and 10 under Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Vote 1 under Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Vote 1 under Canadian Museum of History, Vote 1 under Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Vote 1 under Canadian Museum of Nature, Vote 1 under Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Vote 1 under Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Votes 1 and 5 under Department of Canadian Heritage, Votes 1 and 5 u

Committee Business

Members speaking

Before the committee

Marc Miller Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages

Bilodeau Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage

McMurren Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage

Montminy Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage

Brown Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Lisa Hepfner

Thank you.

Mr. Myles, you now have the floor for three minutes.

May 5th, 2026 / 12:50 p.m.

Liberal

David Myles Liberal Fredericton—Oromocto, NB

Thank you very much.

I would like to ask about the indigenous languages program. I know there has been increased funding into this program over the last number of years. I've seen first-hand as an MP for the last year how important these programs have been.

In my riding of Fredericton—Oromocto there are a number of very engaging Wolastoqey language programs that have had a huge impact on self-confidence, pride of place, identity and being able to truly engage. We're seeing that language is at the core of so many other markers of social improvement.

Could you speak to those programs in particular and why they're so important?

12:55 p.m.

Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage

Andrew Brown

Sure.

Ever since the passage of the Indigenous Languages Act in 2019 there's been increased investment in our indigenous languages program. Communities across the country have now been relying on it in terms of supporting them in their own efforts to revitalize indigenous languages.

There are something like 70 indigenous languages across the country and the vast majority of them are in an endangered status. Communities are living through a period where many of their elders, their only fluent speakers of the languages, are reaching their final days. They are working as quickly as they can to find ways to capture, document and share their knowledge with younger people so they might learn and be able to carry on the language, which is so important to their communities and their culture.

That's exactly what we've been hearing when we have had the opportunity to meet with indigenous communities across the country. I was most recently up in Whitehorse in March, at the time of the Arctic Winter Games. We met with indigenous representatives from eight different first nations who talked about the huge impact that it's had on their communities. We also heard from youngsters who were meeting with elders and learning from them, first to learn the language and later to become teachers of the language, so that both the language and the culture can be passed along.

Yes, it's been tremendously important. Investments have increased, but we also continue to hear from indigenous communities that it's not enough.

One of the other important things that I'm sure the minister mentioned very briefly in his opening remarks is that the review of the Indigenous Languages Act has been launched. It is work that is under way and is going to be important in terms of providing advice to the minister and Parliament about potential changes that would be needed to that legislation and that could better help support the revitalization of indigenous languages across this country.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Lisa Hepfner

Thank you very much, sir.

That's the end of our question period. If any of you would like to leave, you're welcome to do so.

We are going to take a couple of minutes to pass the main estimates. I don't think we need to vote person by person, but let me know if anyone disagrees. I read out the main estimates at the beginning of this meeting, so I won't read them again.

CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS

Vote 1—Payments to the Council..........$357,666,546