OUR LANGUAGE RIGHTS BIWEEKLY
Canadian. Language. News.
November 22nd, 2021
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On our mind this week:
1. For Ronald Ignace, 1st appointed Canadian Commissioner of Indigenous Languages, language revitalization is a form of self-determination that reaffirms Indigenous Peoples’ identities as nations within Canadian society. “My view is that no language ought to be left behind and nor should it stand in the shadow of others... It’s an important component of who are as a people and our rights as nations across the country.” Because of the immensity and complexity of its mandate, Ignace said the new commission is currently in the process of laying the groundwork: “We don’t have a blueprint on which to build the commission.. we were appointed as commissioners. Now we’re constructing the commission from ground zero.” That includes doing a costing study. He said it requires between 2,000 and 2,500 hours of study for someone to become an able speaker: “The systemic, colonial and racist policies that have led to the death of many of our people and the destruction of our languages and cultures is a hard, long struggle to transform”. (APTN News).
2. We are still collecting your input! Please make sure to fill out this short survey to help us respond to your advocacy needs better. Let's build together exciting and dynamic Canadian Day of Language Access and Advocacy (#LAD22) on February 22!
Sincerely,
The LACC Team
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Indigenous Languages
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Francophone
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Language Rights, Revitalization and Advocacy
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Immigration/ Settlement and Emergency Communication
- This Calgary area hit 99% vaccination among those eligible - Over the summer there was a mass vaccination clinic at Village Square Leisure Centre, which had volunteers and workers speaking 72 different languages, transportation options, extended hours for those who do shift work and a barrier-free approach — meaning those without health cards could participate in the clinic. There were also mobile clinics in the area through the summer and into the fall.
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The Politics of Language, Culture, and Technology
- Tom Mulcair: Language back on frontburner
- Language issues have always been a part of the Canadian political fabric. Mostly dormant in recent years, the issue of bilingualism, or lack of it, just came roaring back into the news as the president of Air Canada stumbled into a quagmire of his own making.
- Learning language as adult not always harder, but you have to want to learn: experts - “Somebody in such position of economic power, they have financial support, they can hire a tutor, they can use vacation time to take intensive immersion courses,” he said. “A newcomer might have ESL courses but there are challenges. The priority is sometimes just getting by. “So (Rousseau’s) busy-man argument is really, really hard to accept.”
- Short story collection by Inuk author Norma Dunning wins one of Canada's top fiction prizes ... Inuk writer Norma Dunning has won one of Canada's top literary prizes for English-language fiction. Dunning was announced the winner.
- Outside the Forensic Box: Science, Language, and Thought - How we express ideas can change eyewitness and scientific interpretations.
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To bring awareness to The International Year of Indigenous Languages students at Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni, Cape Breton recorded in 2019 Paul McCartney's Blackbird in their native Mi'kmaq language.
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OUR LANGUAGE RIGHTS BIWEEKLY is curated list of Canadian language related news brought to you by Language Access Coalition of Canada (LACC), a community of forward-thinking organizations and individuals in the non-profit, public and private sectors, driven by the desire to make a positive impact by advocating for access to information and services in languages people understand. Please follow us on social media channels.
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