During the review of the Languages Commissioner's 2000-2001 Annual Report, it was noted by the committee that the vision and mandate of the Office of the Languages Commissioner had been significantly altered. The previous vision/mission statement read as follows:
The Office of the Languages Commissioner works to assist in the preservation, promotionand protection of the official languages of the Northwest Territories, and to ensure that the Government of the Northwest Territories departments, boards and agencies comply with the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act as legislated.
The new vision is as follows:
Each step we have taken in language revitalization has been taken with elders and many committed and dedicated persons. Each achievement has been made by working togethertoward the common vision of strong, healthy NWT official languages. The Office of the Languages Commissioner must follow this cooperative approach, working together withall language communities and NWT citizens in meeting their language needs and aspirations and upholding the Official Languages Act.
The standing committee did not wish to enter into a debate on the relative merits of each vision or mandate of independent offices of the Legislative Assembly. However, committee members did feel that the Languages Commissioner should have consulted with the Legislative Assembly before significantly altering the official vision of the Languages Commissioner's office.