Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Jan. 30th, 2023

Evidence of meeting #47 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was nunavut.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Indigenous Languages Study

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Karliin Aariak Languages Commissioner, Office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut

Kitty Gordon Coordinator, Office of the President, Makivik Corporation

Ed Schultz Governance Director, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation

Mark Nelson Fiscal and Implementation Representative, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation

Miranda Huron Director, Indigenous Education and Affairs, Capilano University, As an Individual

Danielle Alphonse BC Regional Innovation Chair for Aboriginal Early Childhood Development, Vancouver Island University, As an Individual

Melanie Brice Associate Professor and Gabriel Dumont Research Chair in Michif/Métis Education, University of Regina, As an Individual

5:25 p.m.

NDP

Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Thank you.

I have a question for Melanie.

You mentioned earlier that when elders receive honoraria, the honoraria are taxed as income. It affects their income support or pension. I was told the same by my people.

How would you recommend to change that so that it does not affect the income of elders? If we truly value our language, how do we protect it by protecting the elders?

5:25 p.m.

Associate Professor and Gabriel Dumont Research Chair in Michif/Métis Education, University of Regina, As an Individual

Dr. Melanie Brice

Thank you.

I don't know income tax law and I'm not too sure about all of that, but if there's a way that honorariums can be seen not as income for people who are over the age of 60 or 65, or if there were some way that it could be reported....

What I have found with the elders is that they don't mind paying the tax on that, but what they do mind is that it's considered as income. For example, with the guaranteed income supplement, if you receive over $20,000—$20,000 is not a lot of money—as soon as you go over that, it's taken off from the following year. While they receive the honorarium that year, it means that in the following year they receive less money. They're being penalized for helping out and for wanting to revitalize their language. There has to be something in place so that our elders are not penalized.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Marc Garneau

Thank you very much.

This brings our second panel to a close.

I'd like to thank Ms. Huron, Ms. Alphonse and Dr. Brice for providing testimony today. Quite often you all agreed with each other, which I think makes what you've said today very strong. We very much appreciate it as we continue our study of indigenous languages and of the act itself.

Thank you for giving us your time and your testimony today.

With that, colleagues, I call this meeting to a close. We are adjourned.