Private businesses must offer Inuktut
Government makes $5K grants available to comply with Language Protection Act
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, August 7, 2017
NUNAVUT
Following through on his deadline to implement the Inuit Language Protection Act, Culture and Heritage Minister George Kuksuk reminded Nunavummiut July 26 that both the private and public sector must comply, effective July 9, with Section 3 of the Act.
Effective July 9, all public and private sector organizations and businesses in Nunavut must offer their communications and services to the public in Inuktut, including signs, posters, commercial advertising, reception and customer or client services. - NNSL file photo |
"Did you know that as of July 9, 2017, all public and private sector organizations in Nunavut must offer their communications and services to the public in Inuktut?" begins the news release.
Specifically, communications and services to the public must be offered in Inuktut.
This includes signs, posters, commercial advertising, reception and customer or client services.
Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce president Matthew Clark told Nunavut News/North that details have been sparse.
"The Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce, in recognizing where we live and operate our businesses, supports the government's efforts to protect and strengthen the Inuit language now and into the future," Clark said via e-mail.
"Unfortunately communication to businesses surrounding this new Act, which came into force as of July 9, has been limited."
Clark said the chamber, which has 28 member businesses, had not yet discussed the implications of Section 3, but the item is on the agenda for its September meeting.
"In reviewing the Act, the challenges appear to be, first, having staff at all businesses that can speak fluently in Inuktitut. Secondly, the cost surrounding creating signage, changing invoices etc... that include the Inuit language," he said.
"We will seek additional information prior to our September meeting and then will have a board consensus on how we can support other Iqaluit businesses in complying with this new Act."
Culture and Heritage has prepared a four-page document titled Standards of Communications and Services in Inuktut and is offering some funding through its grants program by way of Inuktuuriaqarniq Namminiqaqtinut: Private Sector Inuktut Support Program.
"Your organization must work gradually towards complying with the Inuit Language Protection Act. To facilitate this, your organization may prepare an Inuit Language Plan," the document states.
"The Office of the Languages Commissioner has prepared guidelines and template to assist you. The plan will help to assess your organization's capacity to provide services in Inuktut to the public, and identify measures and timelines to improve compliance over time."
The Government of Nunavut (GN) has created a toolkit to help with compliance, which includes an overview of new language requirements and the support systems available to help, a compliance cheat sheet, a standards of best practice sheet, Inuktuuqta (Let's Speak Inuktut) business stickers and posters promoting the use of Inuktut.
Further the GN has budgeted $1 million over the next five years to help private sector organizations with a small grant of $5,000 to improve compliance. Eligible costs include updating signs, translations, and language training fees.
