David Krutko

Thank you. Just for the Minister, you did offer up some information to Mr. Menicoche, so maybe it’s possible if you have it with you to share it with the Clerk so we can circulate it. It might be helpful to the other Members. The information that you said you would provide to the Member, maybe you can also provide that to committee or to the Members in the House and get that to us. Next on the list I have Ms. Bisaro.

Committee agree?

Does the committee agree?

I believe it is critical that we do have some sort of central language development institute of some sort in the Northwest Territories. When you talk about aboriginal language it’s more than a language learning program, it’s also looking at the whole area of translating services, training services for language teachers and instructors in those language programs. I think it’s essential that whatever programs and services we do deliver are useable. That is one of the downfalls that you see of a lot of languages. You can see the strong language groups in the Northwest Territories such as the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about the affect of languages in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the aboriginal language groups I represent, especially the Gwich’in, whose language is presently classified as critical, Mr. Speaker, we are now down to 228 language speakers, the majority of them over the age of 60. Mr. Speaker, I think it’s a critical time in the life of not only our government, but protection of our language, culture and the importance that all our language groups play in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important that we not only look...

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Next on the list I have Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Next on the list I have Mr. Bromley.

With that, we will take a short break and begin with Committee Report 3-16(5).

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I call the Committee of the Whole to order. We have tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 66, 75, 98 to 101, Bill 4, Committee Report 3-16(5) and Minister’s Statement 65-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to speak in regard to the revitalization of languages and the language groups that aren’t classified as critically endangered, like the Gwich’in language and Inuvialuktun. I think we do have to take immediate action. I think we have to take giant steps to get there. I think one of the immediate things that we can establish is an action plan to deal with the Gwich’in Revitalization Program. I’d like to ask the Minister what we are doing to work with those groups that find themselves in the situation that their language is classified as critical or...