Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Final Report on the Review of the Official Languages Act 2008-2009: Reality Check: Securing the Future for the Official Languages in the Northwest Territories and commends it to the House.

Section 35 of the Official Languages Act requires the Legislative Assembly or a special committee of the Assembly to conduct a review of the act “at the next session following December 31, 2007, and subsequently at the next session following each successive fifth anniversary of that date.” In accordance with this statutory requirement, the 16th Legislative Assembly adopted a motion on February 11, 2008, referring the review of the provisions and operation of the Official Languages

Act to the Standing Committee of Government Operations (the committee).

Background

The 14th Legislative Assembly initiated the Special

Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act (SCROLA) in 2001. SCROLA tabled its comprehensive final report in 2003. The reports identified 65 recommendations and suggested implementation and investment schedules for these recommendations. The GNWT tabled a response to this report in 2003.

Amendments to the Official Languages Act were made during the last session of the 14th Legislative

Assembly. These changes introduced an Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board, an Official Languages Board, and new roles for the Languages Commissioner and the Minister. The act requires a review after five years.

The SCROLA review was comprehensive and provided much background research into the socio-linguistic field of language preservation and revitalization. The findings of the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act are still valid and usable, allowing the scope of the this five-year review to focus specifically on the requirements as set out in the act itself.

The 2008-2009 review examined

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whether progress has been made since the changes to the Official Language 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;

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whether the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board has fulfilled its mandate to promote, maintain and revitalize aboriginal languages.

As a first step, the committee reviewed government reports, languages regimes of other Canadian and international jurisdictions and publications related to language endangerment and protection. This step was followed by extensive consultations with the public and stakeholders including aboriginal languages frontline workers and professionals and community language groups. The committee

provided further opportunities for public input including a questionnaire that was posted on the Assembly’s website and written submissions.

The committee scheduled witnesses for hearings during public committee meetings and invited the Minister responsible for Official Languages, the Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and the Official Languages Board, the NWT Bureau of Statistics, the Federation Franco TeNOise and the NWT Literacy Council.

The committee tabled its “Interim Report on the Review of the Official Languages Act 2008-2009” in accordance with section 35(1) of the Official Languages Act to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories on October 16, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I ask Mr. Hawkins, my deputy chair, to continue with the executive summary. Mahsi cho.