Minister fights back as Nunavut MLAs attempt to strike down controversial language act

The minister responsible for Nunavut's controversial Bill 37 has denounced the way the committee reviewing it blocked the proposed changes.

The bill, which proposed changes to theEducation Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act, was denounced by many as a step backwards for Inuit rights to education in Inuktut(the name used to encompass all the Inuit languages in the territory).

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On Friday the standing committee on legislation announced it would not recommendthe billmove forward. In a news release issued in response,Education Minister PaulQuassasaidhewants to work through its concerns.

He also said it was "very disappointing" that the committee did not make its deliberationspublic.

Committee meetings were in camera and Quassasuggested that announcing the decision before the House returns later this month precluded public discussion.

"If members have specific concerns or recommendations, then these discussions should take place in committee of the whole," Quassa said in the release.

Friday's announcement preceded any report to the Legislative Assembly detailing the committee'sdecision and the formal recommendation it will make to the assembly when the House reconvenes.

The bill was introduced in March and passed the first two readings in the House before being sent to the standing committee for review.

Committee chairperson Tom Sammurtok said the bill should be allowed to "fall off the order paper,"which means it will be ignored until it dies with the end of this assembly's term.

A news release attributed the decision to "the overwhelming lack of consensus in support of the bill in such areas as language of instruction, the role of District Education Authorities and increased employment of Inuit teachers."

No support for 'emotional' bill

MLAPatAngnakak, co-chair of the committee, held two roundtables with her constituents and reviewednearly 40 submissions on Bill 37.

"For me personally, I couldn't find anybody that really supported the bill," she said, calling it"emotional" because of its effect on so many families.

"It's very hard to say yes to something that a lot of people are against," she said."We felt that we should get the message out there, sooner than later. Why wait?"

As for why the meetings and the decision were made in camera, Angnakak saidit's standard procedure.

"We need our own time to really discuss things openly amongeach other about how we're really feeling."

However, Quassa said announcing their decision early went against procedure.

"Nunavummiut need to hear why the standing committee is making such a decision prior to following the normal process in which the standing committee can invite the minister to talk about the changes and why those changes were made."

He told CBC at no point in the committee review did anyone reach out to ask him questions about the amendments.

NTI 'relieved' bill couldbe dropped

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. applauded the committee's announcement in a statement.

"I am relieved they recognize that the issue of Inuktut language loss is urgent,"said NTI president Aluki Kotierk.

NTI and all three regional Inuit associations vehemently opposed Bill 37.

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"It will dilute our Inuit right to Inuktut education," Kotierk said when the bill first passed to committee. "This is unacceptable. Nunavut was created so that our rights to learn in Inuktut would be recognized and protected."

The proposed changes would have pushed the deadline for offering bilingual education by 10 years to 2029 for Grades 4 to 9, and postponed the deadline for Grades 10 to 12 indefinitely.

The same act proposed changing the 2008 Inuit Language Protection Act from giving every child the right to "receive Inuit language instruction" to giving every parent "the right to receive the majority of the child's school instruction in the Inuit language."