By Senator Nick Sibbeston
Introduction
Compared to the situation in southern Canada, Aboriginal languages in the North are still in good shape. In most communities, the majority of Aboriginal people still speak their mother tongue. Even in those communities where this is not the case, there are enough speakers that it is still possible to revitalize and restore our languages to their rightful place. But we cannot be complacent.
Residential schools cost many people the ability to speak their own language. The effects of residential schools continue in the attitude of parents who are worried their children will do less well in English – and therefore in the workplace – if they learn their own language. Aboriginal languages face also constant pressure from television, radio and the Internet.
Over the years, we have a done a lot in the NWT to make sure our languages stay strong. When I was first active in the 1970s, there were no Dene language programs on the CBC. Along with Joe LeMoeul, I started the first one. When, in 1986, the federal government insisted that the GNWT become bilingual, we demanded that they also support Aboriginal languages. We signed a funding agreement and passed language laws to recognize the many languages of the NWT.
The federal government still provides funding to the GNWT to support Aboriginal languages though it is less than half as much as they provide to support French language services and education. Fortunately the GNWT supplements Aboriginal language funding from their general revenues. They have also, this year, adopted a new strategy and action plan to strengthen our languages. One of the key places they will do that is in the schools.
Aboriginal Education
Over the last several months, the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples has been studying First Nations education on Reserves. We have had many witnesses come before us in Ottawa but we have also travelled to Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to see first hand what is happening on the ground.
The reason we are doing this study is that there is a tremendous gap in achievement between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Fewer Aboriginal students stay in school and fewer of them graduate. They attend University at a lower rate. Though success rates have improved over the last ten years, the success rates of non-Aboriginal students has been improving even faster. The gap has actually started to increase again. According to the Auditor General for Canada, it will take 28 years, at current rates, for this gap to close.
Lower success rates for Aboriginal students doesn’t just hurt those students and their communities; it hurts Canada. In many parts of Canada, Aboriginal youth are the fastest growing portion of the population. They could be our future workforce but without education they will be stuck with the low-paying jobs. They won’t be able to fill the high-skill jobs where they are most needed.
We are still working on our study – it should be released in the Spring – but it is no real secret what we have found. First Nations schools are not funded as well as those off reserve. Again, we are fortunate in the North not to have that particular problem. They also don’t have access to second-level services, like curriculum development or teacher certification. Schools are older and less well maintained and they lack resources, especially technology.
All of these issues will need to be addressed if Aboriginal students are to succeed. However, they may not be sufficient. Aboriginal students who go to schools off-reserve in places like Saskatchewan and Alberta aren’t doing any better than those who go to school in Band operated schools. In some cases, they are doing worse.
What then is the solution?
Well, it appears that the critical piece of the puzzle is language and culture. We’ve been told over and over again – by academics and educational experts, by teachers and students, by parents and community leaders – that students who are grounded in their language and culture do better in school. And the only way for that to happen is through Aboriginal language immersion programs – not just from K-12 but in early childhood education programs as well. Optional courses taught an hour a day won’t do the trick. We need young people in immersion programs and we need community programs so that adults can recover their language right along with their children.
Language and Culture
When you think about it, the importance of language makes perfect sense. Language is critical to how you think about the world. The way you talk about a thing, or a person, or a place, is also the way you think about it – the way you know it. It is also critical to knowing who you are. Without our language and a solid knowledge of our cultural practices, we are just people with brown skins – not part of our own world but not really part of mainstream society either.
When a child learns his own native language, he is connected back through the generations to his history. When a child can speak Slavey, she can understand the world the same way her elders do. Most importantly, language lets a child say – this is who I am; this is the place I am connected to; this is the world I will also be part of. That is a very solid foundation upon which to build a future.
Some people worry that if their kids learn their native language, they will fall behind in English and will have a tougher time succeeding at school and at work. As it turns out, the exact opposite is true. The skills children acquire in becoming literate in their own language, readily transfer those skills to English when the time comes. When you add in the greater confidence and self-esteem those children have – they actually do better in school when they start by learning in their own language. I haven’t included any references – this isn’t meant to be a scholarly paper – but the research is widely available and easy to find. For myself, I’m convinced my own ability to speak Slavey has helped me succeed in life.
I’m told this is a common phenomenon. Immigrants, for example, who arrive in Canada literate in their own language have a much easier time mastering English or French than those who can’t read and write their own tongue.
I would like to describe a couple of examples of good programs I’ve had the chance to see in my travels this year.
The Onion Lake First Nation is a large reserve, straddling the Alberta and Saskatchewan border, about an hour north of Lloydminister. It is a reasonably well-to-do reserve with interests in oil and gas and a significant trust fund from a Treaty Land Entitlement settlement. They are by no means rich but they don’t suffer the abysmal poverty too many remote communities south of 60 face.
They have a number of schools on reserve and provide education from K-12. One of the two elementary schools is a K-6 Cree immersion program. They also offer pre-kindergarten classes and some adult education programs for parents. The school follows the Saskatchewan curriculum but all the instruction in every subject is in Cree. They have had to partner with other schools in the area to develop their own curriculum resources.
This program receives almost no funding from Indian Affairs; Onion Lake pays for it from their own money. They take funds from other priorities to provide this education to their students. They do it even though only one-third of the parents on the Reserve send their children to the immersion program.
They do it because they believe it is the only chance their kids have to succeed. And the evidence is starting add up. The program has only been running a few years but already they are seeing improvements in children’s academic achievement. Early evidence also suggests that kids are happier to come to school – less absenteeism and fewer early dropouts. Of course it will take a dozen years before they know for sure but they seem convinced it works. And having visited the school and seen how serious, respectful and hard-working the children are, so am I.
In Nova Scotia, the Mi’kmaq have had jurisdiction over education in their communities since 1998. This sectoral self-government agreement was established by federal and provincial legislation and is funded (or under-funded) by Indian Affairs. The Mi’kmaq have developed a school board type structure to provide secondary services and work with the NS department of education on tertiary ones. They have many partnership arrangements with universities and other education bodies.
On the Eskasoni First Nation outside of Sydney, there is a K-6 immersion program which will eventually be expanded to K-12. Students participate in many cultural activities in the community and in the school. Students on that reserve do as well or better than students in any community in Nova Scotia. The Mi’kmaq hope to use advanced technology to provide similar language programs to those communities on the mainland of Nova Scotia where language is not as strong.
Though a gap still exists between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students in Nova Scotia, it is considerably smaller than in other parts of Canada and is closing fast. The Mi’kMaq give a lot of credit for that to their language and culture programs.
Federal Support for Aboriginal Languages
I mentioned earlier that the Federal government provides some funds to the GNWT for Aboriginal language programming. I also mentioned that it is less than half what they provide for French. But compared to the situation in the south, that’s a great ratio.
Last year, the federal government provided $250 million to provinces and territories for second language (English in Quebec and French elsewhere) instruction and related programs. This doesn’t include the hundreds of millions spent on providing services in both official languages, translating government documents or paying bilingual bonuses to civil servants.
At the same time, other than their transfers to the three territories for language, they spend $5 million a year to support the 50 or so Aboriginal languages in the rest Canada. In total, the Federal government spends less on Aboriginal languages for the whole country than the territorial government spends in the NWT.
That success story I mentioned in Nova Scotia – they receive only $235,000 a year in Federal funding to do it; the rest they scrape together themselves.
The Government of Canada has said it is serious about addressing the education gap; they have entered into high-level talks with the Assembly of First Nations. The Prime Minister has said he will meet with Chiefs to address this key issue. If they are really serious, one of the areas they are going to have to address is support for Aboriginal languages – more funds and more focus.
I’m not suggesting we take money away from programs to promote bilingualism – the French fought long and hard to get what they have achieved and I admire their tenacity and determination. In fact, I think Aboriginal people are increasingly taking a page from their book. After all, these are our languages and if we won’t fight for them why would anyone else? That’s one of the things I like about the new GNWT strategy – it recognizes that government has a role but that it is really up to communities, Aboriginal organizations and local people to make it happen.
The Federal government, too, has to recognize that it has a role as well. I’m hoping that, when the Committee finishes its work, that will be one of our strongest recommendations.