Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The 2008–2009 Review will examine:
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whether progress has been made since the changes to the Official Languages Act in 2003;
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whether the government implements and
administers the act effectively and efficiently;
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whether the objectives and goals of the
preamble are being met;
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whether the changed roles and responsibilities of the Minister responsible for Official Languages improved the administration and implementation of the act;
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whether the changed role of the Languages Commissioner as an ombudsperson improved the implementation of the act;
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whether the new Official Languages Board has met its mandate to review the rights, status and use of official languages; and
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whether the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board has fulfilled its mandate to promote, maintain and revitalize aboriginal languages.
Steps for the 2008–2009 Review
The Standing Committee on Government Operations plans the following steps for the review of the Official Languages Act.
Literature and Document Review
The literature and document review covers an extensive selection of documents from the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, other stakeholders and non-government organizations of the NWT. The review also considers literature from other Canadian jurisdictions, international organizations, and examples of language policy and activities.
Input from Aboriginal Languages Specialists and Frontline Workers
Aboriginal language specialists and frontline workers participated in surveys, interviews and regional focus groups during June, July and August 2008.
One hundred sixty-nine aboriginal language specialists and frontline workers were surveyed; 69 participants responded, which translates into a response rate of 41 per cent. All nine aboriginal official languages were represented in the response. The aboriginal language specialists and frontline workers were asked questions relating to:
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the Official Languages Act;
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the SCROLA recommendations;
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their awareness of the implementation of these recommendations;
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government services and communication with the public;
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training for language specialists and frontline workers;
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their awareness of language revitalization
activities from the government and the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board; and
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community language activities.
Aboriginal language instructors, interpreter/translators and other community based aboriginal language specialists participated in eight regional focus groups. These groups discussed issues around language revitalization and obligations arising from the Official Languages Act.
Some of the highlights are captured in the “Emerging Themes” section of this interim report. The standing committee’s final report will include a detailed chapter on the findings of both the survey results and focus groups discussions.
The standing committee appreciates the Ministers’ support for this undertaking, in particular for sharing information and for contacting the education and health authorities to ensure they are aware of this consultation by the committee.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask my colleague Mr. Abernethy to continue the report. Thank you.