At the federal level, the Indigenous Languages Act (2019) is a significant piece of legislation that supports and promotes the use of Indigenous languages; it affirms Indigenous Peoples language rights; and aims to establish adequate, sustainable, and long-term funding. While progress has been made, its full implementation has not yet been realized.
In provinces and territories, additional legislation and policies exist pertaining to Indigenous languages. The table below provides a comparative summary of Indigenous language education legislation and policies in provincial and territorial levels across Canada. The table is divided into three sections, grouping provinces and territories with 1) significant, 2) limited, and 3) no legislation and policy supporting Indigenous language education. In regions with limited or no legislation and policy supporting Indigenous language education, it is difficult for Indigenous Nations to secure resources and protections for language revitalization. While many Nations persist even without supportive legislation and policy, regional governments are not relinquished of responsibility to protect and contribute to the continuation of Indigenous languages.
There is still much work to be done to ensure that Indigenous languages survive for the next generations. Governments merely recognizing Indigenous languages as ‘official’ is an incomplete response to the impacts of colonization on Indigenous Peoples (McIvor et al., 2022). Indigenous Peoples must be supported to lead their own language revitalization and reclamation efforts.
Table of Indigenous Language Policies by Province / Territory
(adapted from McIvor et al., 2022)
Province / Territory | Laws and Policies | Agreements and Reports | Other |
Provinces and territories with significant support for Indigenous language education |
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Northwest Territories | |||
Nova Scotia | |||
Nunavut | |||
Provinces and territories with limited support for Indigenous language education |
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British Columbia |
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Manitoba | |||
New Brunswick | |||
Ontario | |||
Yukon | |||
Provinces and territories with no legislation or policy supporting Indigenous language education |
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Alberta | |||
Saskatchewan | |||
Québec | |||
Prince Edward Island | |||
Newfoundland & Labrador |
References
Gessner, S., Herbert, T., & Parker, A. (2018). Indigenous languages in Canada. In C. A. Seals & S. Shah (Eds.), Heritage language policies around the world (pp. 30-47). Routledge.
McIvor, O., Chew, K., & Hemlock, K. (2022). Legislation, regulation and policies concerning the revitalization of Indigenous languages in Canada and Internationally. Assembly of First Nations.