The Liberals have no intentions of paying a language bonus to federal staff who speak an indigenous dialect, says Blacklock's Reporter..The Treasury Board currently pays an $800 annual bonus to bilingual employees fluent in English and French under a program dating from 1966..“Currently we are continuing to explore and make sure to work with indigenous public servants so they can obviously serve Canadians in one of the two official languages they know or both for those who know both,” Treasury Board President Mona Fortier told reporters..“Are you in favour of extending the $800 bilingualism bonus to those who speak an indigenous language?” asked a reporter..“We are firmly committed to protecting and promoting our two official languages,” replied Fortier..Parliament three years ago passed Bill C-91 An Act Respecting Indigenous Languages to “support the efforts of indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their language” and “promote public awareness of the richness and diversity” of dialects..Ronald Ignace, a Savona, B.C. anthropologist and former chief of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, in 2021 was appointed Canada’s first federal Commissioner of Indigenous Languages. Ignace speaks English and Secwepemctsin, but not French..Cabinet in an earlier June 16, 2021 briefing note complained it spent six months trying to find a Commissioner who spoke French. Application notices were emailed to more than 1,600 prospective candidates without result..“Although many of the candidates put forward to the minister for consideration were indigenous language speakers none were proficient in both official languages,” said the briefing note..“The minister undertook a series of consultations across the country with regard to the appointment of the commissioner.”.The search for a fluently French appointee was abandoned after indigenous groups dismissed the requirement, said the note..“Overwhelmingly participants called for a commissioner who is indigenous and bilingual in an indigenous language and in either English or French,” wrote staff..“For participants it was important that appointees for these positions are fluent in an indigenous language.”.Statistics Canada in a 2018 study said more than a quarter-million Canadians spoke indigenous languages..Most common were Algonquin (144,000 speakers), Cree (83,000), Inuktitut (34,000), Ojibway (19,000) and Innu (11,000)..In Manitoba and Saskatchewan a total 35,140 respondents in the 2016 Census identified Cree as the language most often spoken at home..Cree speakers outnumbered francophones in the two provinces.
The Liberals have no intentions of paying a language bonus to federal staff who speak an indigenous dialect, says Blacklock's Reporter..The Treasury Board currently pays an $800 annual bonus to bilingual employees fluent in English and French under a program dating from 1966..“Currently we are continuing to explore and make sure to work with indigenous public servants so they can obviously serve Canadians in one of the two official languages they know or both for those who know both,” Treasury Board President Mona Fortier told reporters..“Are you in favour of extending the $800 bilingualism bonus to those who speak an indigenous language?” asked a reporter..“We are firmly committed to protecting and promoting our two official languages,” replied Fortier..Parliament three years ago passed Bill C-91 An Act Respecting Indigenous Languages to “support the efforts of indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their language” and “promote public awareness of the richness and diversity” of dialects..Ronald Ignace, a Savona, B.C. anthropologist and former chief of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, in 2021 was appointed Canada’s first federal Commissioner of Indigenous Languages. Ignace speaks English and Secwepemctsin, but not French..Cabinet in an earlier June 16, 2021 briefing note complained it spent six months trying to find a Commissioner who spoke French. Application notices were emailed to more than 1,600 prospective candidates without result..“Although many of the candidates put forward to the minister for consideration were indigenous language speakers none were proficient in both official languages,” said the briefing note..“The minister undertook a series of consultations across the country with regard to the appointment of the commissioner.”.The search for a fluently French appointee was abandoned after indigenous groups dismissed the requirement, said the note..“Overwhelmingly participants called for a commissioner who is indigenous and bilingual in an indigenous language and in either English or French,” wrote staff..“For participants it was important that appointees for these positions are fluent in an indigenous language.”.Statistics Canada in a 2018 study said more than a quarter-million Canadians spoke indigenous languages..Most common were Algonquin (144,000 speakers), Cree (83,000), Inuktitut (34,000), Ojibway (19,000) and Innu (11,000)..In Manitoba and Saskatchewan a total 35,140 respondents in the 2016 Census identified Cree as the language most often spoken at home..Cree speakers outnumbered francophones in the two provinces.
