Time to decolonize Canada’s official languages

The Northwest Territories, for instance, recognizes 11 official languages, and Nunavut recognizes Inuktut in addition to French and English. This means municipal and territorial services in those regions are offered in Indigenous languages—but federal services for these same populations are limited to French and English.

NDP MP Lori Idlout, who is Inuk, had to tell some voters in Nunavut where her name fell in the list of candidates on the ballot, as many elders in that territory are unilingual and cannot read English or French. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY EDITORIAL

April 25, 2022

It’s high time that Canada re-evaluated its definition of French and English as its only official languages, particularly if it is serious about reconciliation. While neither French nor English should be removed as official la...

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