Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this motion as well. I support diversity in all its ways, and one of the biggest ways that we are really strong in, particularly in the Northwest Territories, is our diversity of cultures and languages. There is so much knowledge and ways of seeing the world that we need that are wrapped up in languages, that we need to do whatever we can to help these languages survive and thrive. I back up my colleague from the Deh Cho, noting that there’s a big role for families, and parents and elders in this role.
There’s no doubt now, based on the new science, that the potential for learning language is most strongly developed within the few months before birth and 12 months after birth. There’s a clearer indication of the need to focus on early childhood opportunities, and I know the department is working, the government is working in some ways there in terms of the Language Nests to function on young people, but it really needs to happen in the home and the community itself. I think this motion will move us in that direction, and on that basis I support the motion and thank my colleagues for bringing it forward.