Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our territory is unique in the world in many ways. I am proud that we work in such a unique system of government. I am proud that we have developed the consensus system that reflects our originality. I am proud to sit in this Chamber with colleagues from a wide variety of heritages. I am proud that we live and work in a jurisdiction that recognizes 11 official languages. We are fortunate to have a number of healthy languages in our territory and to be able to hear them on the radio every day.
On many days, you can hear, like today, those languages in this very Chamber, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate that this Assembly has emphasized the importance of using Indigenous languages in our proceedings, especially in the past few sessions.
However, I wonder how much longer this can continue, Mr. Speaker. Years ago, I remember that there was a strong effort to recruit and train Indigenous-language interpreters to provide translation of public discussion and debates. In this Chamber and at conferences and assemblies across the NWT, language systems and simultaneous translation were staples of public discourse.
Today, that level of commitment to language services seems to have diminished. Interpreters are fewer and fewer and harder to find. The strong emphasis on training for language expertise and simultaneous translation seems to be missing. It makes me wonder what is the future of our languages? More importantly, what will be the outcome for the children who are coming up now?
Strong work on language preservation is going on in some places. In particular, the Tlicho language is actively used among all ages. There is even a Tlicho dictionary online. This is the kind of commitment that's needed to maintain our languages for the next generations. Historically, there were hundreds of Indigenous languages spoken across what is now Canada, Mr. Speaker. Sadly, many of them have disappeared entirely and/or are now nearly extinct. It is sad that, if a language dies, a whole way of life may go with it.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud that in the Northwest Territories so many different languages remain active and healthy. I think it's important that we continue to emphasize the learning, use, and health of all of the languages of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.