Stephanie McDonald
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 5, 2007

NUNAVUT - Two of Nunavut's elder statesmen have expressed interest in becoming the territory's next languages commissioner.

Peter Irniq, former commissioner of Nunavut, and Paul Quassa, mayor of Iglulik, each say the role requires a vocal and strong leader.

Johnny Kusugak, who had been Nunavut's languages commissioner since February 2005, announced his resignation on Oct. 19 during consultations in Iqaluit over Nunavut's proposed language laws.

He said that he wanted more time to spend with his family. He will step down as commissioner on Dec.13.

"We need someone who is a leader in the Inuit language," Irniq said on the phone from Providence, Rhode Island Oct. 30 where he was lecturing at Brown University.

The day before, he had spoken at Harvard Law School about Inuit culture and language. Irniq, Nunavut's former commissioner, stressed that the next languages commissioner needs to be able to write Inuktitut in standard Roman orthography, as it's the writing system that will save the language.

He said ideally the next languages commissioner will know all of the territory's dialects and have knowledge of other Arctic dialects, such as Inuvialuktun. He or she will have to be aggressive in promoting the correct spelling of names and communities, Irniq said.

"You don't want to change what your ancestors did thousands and thousands of years ago," he said.

That would mean telling people from places such as Kugaaruk and Taloyoak that the current spelling of their town names is not linguistically correct, according to Irniq.

He applied for the job of language commissioner when it was first created eight years ago, but was not chosen.

"I have a lot of interest because I've done a lot of work in Inuit culture and language... I know a great deal about my own language," he said.

He said that if he were offered the position, he would have to gauge the feeling of the current government on their level of commitment to saving the language.

"If we don't make a move right now, it's going to be too late," he said.

Quassa, mayor of Iglulik, said he would love to have the job if the opportunity presented itself.

"When I was growing up, I was told not to use my language ... A lot of us who had that experience became very pro-Inuktitut language and Inuit culture. That's how we got the urge to want to fight," he said.

Quassa said that in order for the Inuktitut language to be strong, the territory needs a proactive and vocal languages commissioner. He or she must "constantly be vocal about the need to use the language," he said. That includes having government workers, those in the private sector, and newcomers to the territory using it.

"That's the only way the people of Nunavut will understand the importance of it," he said.

Acting chair of the Ajauqtiit Standing Committee and MLA for Uqqummiut, James Arreak, said he presumed that the selection of the next languages commissioner will happen in similar fashion to how it was done the last time.

The position will be advertised and the Ajauqtiit Committee will make a recommendation for selection.

The members of the legislative assembly will then vote on it. Arreak was unsure of when this process will happen.