What future for the Indigenous languages in Canada?

Abstract

There are between 53 and 70 Indigenous languages in Canada. It is undeniable that these languages contribute to the richness of the linguistic heritage of Canada.[i] Unfortunately, a majority of them are now in a state of decline or endangerment (Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, vol. 3, Gathering Strength, at pp. 564-569). In 1991, a study showed that in 69 % of First Nations communities, Indigenous languages were “declining”, “endangered”, or in a “critical” state. Indigenous languages were considered “enduring” in 18 % of First Nations communities, and “flourishing” in only 12 % of these communities. The only “viable” Indigenous languages were Cree, Ojibwee, and Inuktitut (Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures, Towards a New Beginning: A Foundational Report for a Strategy to Revitalize First Nation, Inuit and Métis Languages and Cultures, at pp. 34-35; Gabriel Poliquin, “La protection d’une vitalité fragile : Les droits linguistiques autochtones en vertu de l’article 35” (2013) 58:3 McGill LJ 573, at p. 576; Naiomi Metallic, “Becoming a Language Warrior” in Marie Battiste, ed, Living Treaties: Narrating Mi’kmaw Treaty Relations (Sydney, NS: Cape Breton University Press, 2016) 241, at pp. 244-245; Naiomi Metallic, “Les droits linguistiques des peuples autochtones” in Michel Bastarache & Michel Doucet, eds, Les droits linguistiques au Canada, 3rd ed (Cowansville, QC: Yvon Blais, 2013) 891, at p. 900).