An Algonquin version of this post is also available.
It’s safe to say that one’s identity is a combination of one’s language and one’s culture. A person’s language provides them with a direct link to the history of their people and an understanding of their ancestors. It also illuminates the path for future generations.
Canada is a country that enjoys linguistic and cultural pluralism. Our history, the building blocks of the nation we are today, is founded on the first languages that were here for tens of thousands of years: Indigenous languages. Once flourishing from coast to coast to coast, Indigenous languages have been significantly eroded and now number about 70.Note 1 All Indigenous languages, including my mother tongue of Algonquin, are in various stages of endangerment according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). As I do my best to enhance my own Anishinabemowin, my heart aches each time I am reminded that the number of Algonquin speakers continues to wane.
My language as well as all other Indigenous languages have been severely negatively impacted by government actions founded on policies of assimilation. Essentially, these actions created rapid language displacement, the phenomenon whereby a language or languages are displaced by another language that gains dominance. Indigenous languages have been increasingly displaced and replaced by English and French, both of which are statutorily protected and well funded.
Today, we see a similar scenario playing out in another context. Much like Indigenous languages have been displaced, there is now a recognized threat of displacement of the French language. Indeed, the government is currently moving forward with amendments to the Official Languages Act to modernize and strengthen it (Bill C-13) in a manner that further protects and promotes the French language by recognizing its status as a minority language in Canada and North America.
As public servants, we are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting languages, whether through the Official Languages Act or most recently through the Indigenous Languages Act. This starts with understanding that all languages can exist and thrive in a single environment, at the same time. That environment could be in society as a whole, in geographic locations, or within the public service.
As public servants, we are bound to very specific requirements of the Official Languages Act. These provisions include how we conduct ourselves internally as well as when dealing with the public. Internally, we have organizational structure mechanisms in place that ensure that all public servants can use the official language of their choice. When dealing with the public, we communicate and provide service in the official language of choice, where there is significant demand for the language (as defined by the criteria set out in the Official Languages Act).
But as I said, we live in a country of many languages, and we proudly strive to serve the public in a manner that provides the best experience possible. This means then that we must look at official languages bilingualism not as an end, but as a beginning.
We are not prohibited from engaging in practices beyond the requirements of the Official Languages Act that recognize the importance of other languages and, in turn, help to strengthen them. Sensible approaches to language preservation are within our means and authorities.
For example, it may surprise some to know that in Nunavut, the majority of the population speaks Inuktitut as their mother tongue. In my opinion, it would stand to reason that, as a public service that delivers programs and services in that region, we would do so in a manner designed for the people who live there, that is, in Inuktitut. Such changes would mean prioritizing Indigenous languages in certain federal workplaces while maintaining our statutory official languages obligations.
I don’t see this matter as an either-or proposition. I believe we can protect English, French and Indigenous languages at the same time.
This post was written as part of the Golden Quill initiative, which gives senior management within the federal public service the opportunity to write about an aspect of official languages that is important to them or to share their own personal experiences with language. Check out The Golden Quill: An initiative of the Our Languages blog (opens in new tab) to learn more about this annual tradition and to read blog posts written by past recipients of the Golden Quill.
