Call to Action (2015) Review
Abstract
<h2>Cover Page</h2> <p>Call to Action (2015) Review</p> <p>Student Name</p> <p>Institutional Affiliation</p> <p>Course</p> <p>Instructor’s Name</p> <p>Date</p> <h2>Evaluation of Language Revitalization Policies within the Truth and Reconciliation Framework</h2> <p>The Truth and Reconciliation Report’s Call to Action (2015) Language and Culture section highlights several issues. These issues include Aboriginal language rights, the appointment of an Aboriginal Languages Commissioner, university and college diplomas and degrees in Aboriginal language, and the reclaiming of names by residential school survivors and their households.</p> <p>Call to Action (15) called for the federal government to appoint an Aboriginal Language Commissioner, in engagement with the Aboriginal community. The commissioner was tasked with advocating for Aboriginal people's interests, including promoting the Aboriginal language and reporting on the funding needs of Aboriginal language initiatives. In response to this call, the Indigenous Languages Act (the Act), whose main goal is to assist Indigenous Peoples in revitalizing, reclaiming, preserving, and empowering their Indigenous languages, was granted royal assent by Parliament on June 21, 2019 (Canadian Heritage, 2021). It created the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages and the appointment of a Language Commissioner. Regarding Indigenous languages, the Act helped put the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into practice. The Act includes provisions to look for ways to create policies that make it easier to secure sufficient, steady, and long-term funding for the preservation, resuscitation, and enhancement of Indigenous languages, including Aboriginal languages.</p> <h3>Institutional Implementation and Stakeholder Engagement in Indigenous Language Policy</h3> <p>When the bill's creation was revealed in June 2017, the federal government initiated a national engagement process to get feedback on the Act's drafting from elders, language instructors, and Indigenous administrators. Outreach and engagement within their respective groups were managed by the Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Assembly of First Nations (CBC News, 2023). The Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages was given the following responsibilities under the Act: developing technological resources, educational resources, and long-term documentation of languages of Indigenous peoples, encompassing video and audio files of fluent speakers; financing immersion projects; and organizing initiatives and activities to rebuild and preserve fluency in Indigenous languages (CBC News, 2023). The office was also tasked with conducting additional research on Indigenous languages. The establishment of this Act addressed all the elements of Call to Action (15).</p>