(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, Members. (Translation ends) The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has been talking about changes to the Language Bureau. There are two areas of change. One, is to give the language communities more funding to carry out the development and promotion of languages. The other change is the privatization of interpreter/translator services.
I am very concerned about the privatization. I know some of the work of the Language Bureau is translated now. However, there are a number of reasons why it is important to have a group of dedicated interpreter/translators. Being a good interpreter/translator is not an easy thing. As we get closer to Nunavut, it will be very important that we have good, professionally-trained interpreter/translators. It is important that the quality of service stays high. It will be more difficult to make sure the level of service is consistently good, if we use different private contractors all the time. We need good interpreters to help people who need medical attention. It is hard enough for people to travel from their communities for medical reasons. We need to make sure there are always interpreters around who can help them and who have some understanding of the medical terms. It would be too easy to have misunderstandings when someone from my area does not understand the instructions of the doctor in English.
The interpreter/translators in the Language Bureau have also played an important role in helping develop terminology. Forty years ago, most Inuit people were living in traditional lifestyles. We have seen many changes, Mr. Speaker. These changes have needed new words. The Language Bureau has helped in creating these new words and letting everyone know about them. I am worried about who will coordinate new developments in our language.
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to conclude my statement.