Nationtalk: Iqaluit, Nunavut – NTI welcomes yesterday’s unanimous decision by the Nunavut Court of Appeal dismissing the Government of Nunavut’s (GN) appeal which attempted to stop the Inuktut Education Discrimination lawsuit. The court’s decision affirms the importance and necessity for Inuit to be heard in a full trial.
When students receive schooling in their own language and culture, they face fewer academic barriers and have increased opportunities to achieve their goals from graduation to employment. NTI argues in its lawsuit that the GN’s discriminatory treatment of Inuktut in Nunavut schools, in comparison to English and French, has significantly eroded Inuktut and lowers educational attainment and graduation rates for Inuit students.
The lawsuit seeks to end the harmful effects caused by the discrimination experienced by Inuit students in Nunavut’s public schools, through the protections granted under s.15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The lawsuit seeks a 5-year plan to implement Inuit language education from kindergarten to grade 12 in all Nunavut schools which includes the recruitment and training of Inuit language educators, the development of Inuit language curriculum, and greater involvement of Inuit in education governance.
President Aluki Kotierk stated, “Inuit want an education system in the Inuit language and culture. With focus and adequate resources, it is reasonable and possible to achieve this within five years. It is disappointing that Inuit must use the courts to ensure fair treatment of Inuit students, from a government created by Inuit, and that the government has used its resources to delay and stall the hearing. However, we are pleased that the courts have sided with NTI again in affirming that this case has merit and should proceed.”
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Media Contact:
Ivaluarjuk Merritt
Director of Communications
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
media@tunngavik.com
A Backgrounder on the Inuktut Education Discrimination Lawsuit is attached below.