Madam Speaker, in May, I raised a question with the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages dealing with the state of aboriginal languages in this country. The context for this is within article 13 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which talks about the revitalization of indigenous languages.
When I raised this question in May, I indicated that there was a very short window. This was as a result of a report that had come out in British Columbia where first nations languages are in deep trouble. The estimate was that the majority of these languages could be lost within six years.
The minister, in his response, had indicated that meetings were going on and that there was immediate action. Sadly, however, we have not seen any immediate action on this.
I want to refer to the report entitled, “Status of B.C. First Nations Languages 2010”. A section in the report talks about why it is important when languages are lost. It indicates that, “Language loss is part of the loss of whole cultures and knowledge systems”; that, “The loss of a language means the loss of thousands of years worth of cultural nuances, rituals and practices”; that, “Language is an expression of a peoples’ identity”; that, “The loss of language is directly related to the troubling health issues many First Nations are facing today”; and that “Knowledge of one’s language is related to physical, mental and spiritual health”.
It goes on to say that, “Each language encompasses immense cultural, historical, scientific, and ecological knowledge”.
What we have seen over a number of years is increasing cuts. What an organization called the first nations language program is calling for is a reinstatement of the $160 million that was originally assigned to protecting our first nations languages.
When will the government commit to adequate long-term funding and support the opportunities facing Canada's aboriginal communities to sustain their ancestral languages and the cultural values and identities reflected in their linguistic heritage?
What we would like to hear today is a concrete answer about when that long-term stable funding will be reinstituted so that these language speakers can support the programs and initiatives within their own communities to ensure the survival of these very important languages that are critical to the survival of the cultural and the indigenous identities.