NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
At only two years old, Sahaia May Talbot yet doesn't realize the significance of her name.

Shene Catholique-Valpy's daughter Sahaia May Talbot was born in February 2014. Her family has been fighting since she was born to have her name written in Chipewyan on official documents issued in the territory. - photo courtesy of Shene Catholique-Valpy

Born in February 2014, Talbot's name has been the subject of debate from the moment her mother tried to register her birth.

Shene Catholique-Valpy registered her daughter's name, a Chipewyan word describing the sun breaking through, using its traditional Chipewyan spelling.

"When I tried to register her, I filled out all the paperwork as anyone else would do and then about a month later I got a response saying they don't support the glottal stop and I can only use the Roman alphabet for her name," Catholique-Valpy said.

After being declined, Catholique-Valpy and her family initially refused to comply with the requirement.

"We waited as long as we could. I didn't want to give in. I didn't want them to say we weren't allowed to use it," she said. "We didn't register her until about after a year, until she turned one."

But that rule could be in the process of changing, said Glen Abernethy, territorial minister of Health and Social Services.

Abernethy plans to push for changes to the Department of Health and Social Services' Vital Statistics Act that would allow Dene, Inuvialuit and Cree characters to be used on birth certificates and other documents provided through the Vital Statistics office.

Other documents include marriage and death certificates.

"We recognize that one of the challenges we've had in moving forward with this previously, and one of the reasons that it probably hasn't happened, is because the federal government only recognizes the Roman alphabet," Abernethy said. "Their documents, passports, social insurance numbers, can only really use those particular fonts."

The changes would also allow for the use of a single name, Abernethy said.

"We're also adding a section that allows a child to be given a single name rather than a first name and a last name," he said. "This was done in response to the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) resolution that respects traditional aboriginal names."

It would also remove the requirement that individuals must first undergo gender reassignment surgery before they can identify as male or female.

During the time Talbot wasn't registered, the family had to pay for all of her medical bills. A birth certificate is required to apply for a newborn's health care plan in the NWT.

"We were paying for doctor's visits," Catholique-Valpy said. "I was going to school at the time and we were on one income through her dad, as a family it was getting too much. So we had to register her birth and get all the forms filled out so we could get reimbursed for those medical visits."

Catholique-Valpy decided to file a complaint with the NWT Languages Commissioner. Shannon Gullberg, acting languages commissioner at the time, investigated the issue and determined the Vital Statistics Act violates the NWT's Official Languages Act.

Gullberg issued a report on Oct. 2, 2015.

"You have to look at the Official Languages Act as being quasi-constitutional legislation. It's special legislation that's given a special priority. It gives certain language rights to individuals, so any other legislation has to be looked into based on that context," Gullberg said in a previous interview with News/North.

"Then you look at the Vital Statistics Act, which says you can only use essentially the Roman alphabet."

Abernethy said if changes to the act are passed in the legislative assembly this fall, work can then begin on figuring out how the system would operate.

"We then have to operationalize it, which means we have to build the fonts and whatnot into our systems so that we can actually produce our documents with the fonts on them," Abernethy said.

One of the concerns is that documents using those fonts won't be recognized by the federal government, which could make it difficult to obtain passports and other federal documents.

"All those details haven't been worked out but that is the challenge that residents who want to use traditional names and traditional fonts will have to be aware of," Abernethy said.

However, Abernethy added that overcoming obstacles will be part of putting the changes into effect.

"We will work with the federal government and stakeholders in the North to figure out how to overcome those barriers," he said.

While planning is still in its infancy, the Department of Transportation has been looking at whether traditional fonts could be included on driver's licences, said Ioana Spiridonica, manager of public affairs and communication.

"We're only doing an assessment of the options available," she said. "We are assessing several options."

Catholique-Valpy said she believes traditional fonts should be available on all forms of identification.

"I think it's really important," she said. "Our languages are really important to identify who you are."

Though it's taken years, Catholique-Valpy said she's happy her family decided to see it through.

"It feels little bit unreal the fact that we were the first ones to challenge the government.

"It feels really great that we did this together," she said. "Her dad and I decided together to go down this road to honour our language and to keep the glottal stop in her name."

She's especially thrilled that one day soon, her daughter's name could be written as it was intended.

"We're going to be able to see her traditional name on her birth certificate," she said.

"That's her first form of identification. It shows the name you've been chosen to carry. It's very important for us."

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