(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the Northwest Territories 1984 languages legislation, and with significant amendments in the 1990s, speakers of aboriginal languages across the Northwest Territories had high hopes that they would be able to use their own languages in more of their communications with government offices, but I'm afraid these high hopes have not been realized.
Here is an example: section 14 of the Official Languages Act covers communication to the public by the government and its offices and institutions. Subsection 14(1) refers to services in English and French, and came into force on December 31, 1990. Subsection 14(2) refers to services in all other official languages and came into force on December 31, 1992. Both sections say any member of the public has the right to communicate with and to receive available services from the government or any of its offices or institutions where there's a significant demand or due to the nature of the office. It is reasonable that communications with and services from that office be available in the relevant language.
The First Annual Report of the Commissioner of Official Languages was tabled in this House on December 14, 1993. In chapter three, the Languages Commissioner notes that the government did not make any public announcement of the coming into force of subsection 14(2) at the end of 1992. A brochure...