Inuit Tapariit Kanatami – Failure to incorporate Inuit specific recommendations into the Indigenous Language Act. “Inuktut speakers make up the majority of the population in Inuit Nunangat yet the federal government allocates a larger share of public sector resources for the English and French speaking minority populations,” the position paper prepared by ITK states.

ITK also wants the new legislation to require federal services to be delivered in Inuktut within Inuit Nunangat. “Access to federal services in Inuktut is vital for Inuit, especially in Nunavut and Nunavik where Inuktut is the majority mother tongue,” the report states. Inuktut is the common language spoken by 84 per cent of Inuit living in 51 communities. Inuit priorities communicated to the federal government during the discussion phase:

• status of Inuktut in Inuit Nunangat with respect to federal laws and activities;
• use of Inuktut in the delivery of federal programs and services in Inuit Nunangat and elsewhere where numbers warrant;
• without restricting the responsibilities of provincial, territorial and municipal governments, measures to support the provision of Inuktut programs and services in relation to education, health and the administration of justice;
• use of Inuktut in the federal public service;
• principles to govern federal financial support for Inuktut;
• the role of Inuit representative organizations in the negotiation of intergovernmental agreements in relation to Inuktut; and,
• timelines and schedules for implementation measures, supported by appropriate regulatory and other tools.