The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) is asking the public for their input on proposed amendments to the Northwest Territories (NWT) Official Languages Act.
The NWT Official Languages Act identifies the 11 official languages of the NWT; recognizes the roles and responsibilities of language boards, the Languages Commissioner, and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT); and provides legal protection of languages to assist in preserving culture as expressed through language.
ECE is proposing amendments to better reflect the intended function of the NWT Languages Commissioner and the Language Boards, ensure that the Act is protecting the NWT Official Languages rights in NWT communities, and emphasize the importance of language protection as a means of implementing the articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The proposed amendments are in response to recommendations of language groups, the NWT Languages Commissioner, and the Standing Committee on Government Operations.
To participate, the public is encouraged to review the plain language summary of the proposed amendments and provide feedback. Input on this decision will be accepted until June 6th.
