SUBJECT: First Nations Languages
Moved by: Chief Robert Levy, Big Cove First Nation
Seconded by: Chief Lydia Hwitsum, Cowichan First Nation
WHEREAS the survival of our languages is essential to our cultural survival as peoples; and
WHEREAS over the past thirty years, Indigenous languages have declined to such an extent in Canada that all but three are threatened with extinction, with child speakers being very few in number, if not non-existent;
WHEREAS aggressive measures must be taken immediately to begin reversing the growing loss of Indigenous languages and to ensure the survival of Indigenous languages threatened with extinction; and
WHEREAS experience demonstrates that immersion education, where it is fully implemented (among the Mohawk, Hawaiians, Maori, Shuswap, Blackfoot, and Inuit), produces a large number of child speakers and a high rate of academic success, and that it is the fastest and most effective means to counter language loss;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Chiefs in Assembly hereby declare a state of emergency regarding First Nations languages and demand that the Government of Canada act immediately to officially and legally recognize Indigenous languages as official languages of Canada and commit to providing the necessary resources to counter the loss and prevent the extinction of our languages; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Government of Canada, in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations, establish a National First Nations Languages Foundation as a means of promoting our languages, as recommended by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this national institution be mandated to facilitate research and documentation on Indigenous languages, the development of Indigenous language immersion curricula, teacher training, and the promotion of Indigenous languages within our communities, and that for these purposes, it utilize First Nations educators and educational institutions; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT the Chiefs in Assembly call upon the Government of Canada to allocate the necessary resources to the National Chief to enable the Chiefs’ Committee on Languages to carry out its work in accordance with its mandate.