Ottawa commits $39.4M to support Indigenous languages in the North
Ottawa commits $39.4M to support Indigenous languages in the North
Yellowknives Dene First Nation Dettah Chief Edward Sangris, left to right, N.W.T. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emily Blake
DETTAH, N.W.T. -
The federal government says it is investing $39.4 million to support Indigenous languages in the territories.
The funding is to go to communities, organizations and governments to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen the languages.
Northwest Territories member of Parliament Michael McLeod announced the funding in the Yellowknives Dene First Nation community of Dettah on behalf of the minister of Canadian Heritage.
The First Nation says the funding will help it deliver language and culture classes and camps, as well as develop lesson plans, books, videos and reference documents in the Wiiliideh language.
The federal government says it has invested a total of $77.2 million to support Indigenous languages in the North since 2019.
More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken across Canada, many of which are endangered.
Yellowknives Dene First Nations Chief Fred Sangris of Ndilo said residential schools had a dramatic impact as students were prevented from speaking their traditional language.
“We're hanging onto our language at the very thread,” he said.
“Without language identity is lost.”
Dettah Chief Edward Sangris said revitalizing Wiiliideh is important, as there are few speakers left and some elders struggle with English.
“We feel that the elders are lonely because they've got nobody to talk to in their language, so we're trying to fix that,” he said.
“Our vision in the future is to have vibrant languages in the communities.”
Edward Sangris said one hurdle is that Wiiliideh is not one of the N.W.T.'s 11 official languages, nine of which are Indigenous.
McLeod, who attended residential school himself, said he understands first-hand the intergenerational impacts colonial systems have had on Indigenous languages, culture and identity.
He said the funding to support Indigenous languages is part of the federal government's reconciliation efforts.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
The World Health Organization will announce Monday whether it thinks COVID-19 still represents a global health emergency but Canada's top doctor says regardless of what the international body decides, Canada's response to the coronavirus will not change.
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing. With a potential parliamentary showdown ahead, here's what you need to know about how the contentious Broadcasting Act bill got to this stage.
Though you won't be able to sit on the old, cracked pleather benches and take in the thick smell of gravy and fries, while the gentle sound of clanging dishes provides the soundtrack for your lunch, Zellers plans to roll out food trucks for those 'craving a taste of nostalgia.'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on his Liberal caucus to meet the moment as Canadians deal with the high cost of living, a struggling health care system and the effects of climate change.
Pamela Anderson is addressing discussion about a story regarding her 'Home Improvement' co-star Tim Allen that is part of her new memoir, 'Love Pamela.'
The national Net-Zero Advisory Body released 25 recommendations Friday for how Canada can adjust its climate plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 — a goal that the country is not on track to reach right now, according to the report.
What looks like a giant teddy bear’s face peering into space from the surface of Mars is actually a satellite image of some craters and a circular fracture, scientists say.
Progressive and State Farm, two of America's largest auto insurers, are refusing to write policies in certain cities for some older Hyundai and Kia models that have been deemed too easy to steal, according to one of the insurance companies and media reports.
On CTVNews.ca/W5: Executive Producer Derek Miller highlights an example of a W5 mini investigation that never made it to air, but made a difference in someone's life nonetheless.
On CTVNews.ca/W5: Executive Producer Derek Miller highlights some of W5's upcoming investigations, including Mexico's multi-billion dollar avocado industry run by cartels, and a continuing look into the Pivot Airlines passengers and crew who were detained for months without charges in the Dominican Republic.
The five-member Pivot Airlines crew, who had been detained in the Dominican Republic for almost eight months, is now back in Canada. An emotional airport reunion took place in a special pre-arrivals area of Toronto Pearson International Airport, as the two flight attendants, pilot, co-pilot and mechanic were greeted by family.
W5 speaks with Pivot Airlines flight attendant Christina Carello, who reveals new details about how she uncovered key evidence that had been tampered with in a nightmare ordeal in the Dominican Republic.
CTV's W5 has been shown never-before-seen surveillance footage of Punta Cana International Airport from the night before a Canadian airline crew was detained after discovering duffel bags stuffed with 210 kilograms of cocaine in their plane's avionics bay.
Fifty years ago, Omar Sachedina’s mother was expelled from Uganda along with tens of thousands of other Asians. This summer, she returned to her village for the first time. Omar recounts, in his own words, the emotional return to his mother’s homeland on CTVNews.ca.
CTV W5 investigates claims by parents who say seclusion and restraints are being used in schools on their children with disabilities, without their permission or knowledge.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said and increased police presence on the TTC “is great,” but not enough of a solution to resolve the issue that has left some customers anxious to ride the transit.
Four Toronto residents have been charged and about $3 million worth of cash and goods have been seized after the RCMP busted an alleged 'large-scale' drug importation network.
Ottawa police and Bylaw Services are telling residents and visitors they will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to parking, noise and fireworks violations downtown this weekend, on the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.
As the world awaits the release of a police video showing five officers viciously beating Tyre Nichols, Ottawa police have issued a statement condemning his death.
Residents had a chance to ask questions and raise concerns about the hybrid shelter planned for Erbs Road at a community meeting in Waterloo on Thursday night.
After failing to appear for his sentencing hearing on a rash of sex-related crimes 10 days ago, a former London high school teacher who was on the lam for six days made a court appearance via video from the Sudbury jail.
Windsor police Chief Jason Bellaire has released a statement condemning the actions of the officers involved in a police-related death in Tennessee earlier this month.
Angela Orosz is one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. On Dec. 21, 1944, she was born in a concentration camp. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazis and collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. More than two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was killed.
Three more people have been arrested in connection with a hammer attack on a 16-year-old boy Monday outside a school in Montreal North, police said Friday.
The City of Montreal says it will reconfigure some roads into one-way streets in the Sainte-Marie neighbourhood to make them safer for pedestrians following last month's hit-and-run that killed a young girl.
A fourth person has been arrested in the murder of a man in Saint John, N.B., last summer and now police say they are looking for a fifth person in connection with the case.
Upward of five centimetres of snow fell in Calgary early Friday morning and officials said conditions were good, but the situation deteriorated later on Friday, leading to plenty of crashes and road closures.
An Edmonton woman and her daughter whose catalytic converter was stolen in 2022 have won $25,000 for a product police believe will deter thieves from stealing the automotive part.
Three people have been arrested in connection with two homicides in Edmonton last January and a Canada-wide warrant has been issued for two other people.
The Alberta government says homeowners will still be seeing an energy rebate on their February utility bills, but it won't be as much as it was last month.
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing. With a potential parliamentary showdown ahead, here's what you need to know about how the contentious Broadcasting Act bill got to this stage.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on his Liberal caucus to meet the moment as Canadians deal with the high cost of living, a struggling health care system and the effects of climate change.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre doubled down on his belief that "everything feels broken" Friday, as he laced into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for suggesting otherwise.
A new survey suggests the vast majority of Canadians have concerns about the state of the health-care system, particularly in Atlantic provinces where hospitals have struggled to maintain emergency services for months. Leger and The Association for Canadian Studies surveyed 1,554 Canadian adults over a two-day period in January.
Malnutrition rates in Afghanistan are at record highs with half the country enduring severe hunger throughout the year, a spokesman for the World Food Program said Thursday.
What looks like a giant teddy bear’s face peering into space from the surface of Mars is actually a satellite image of some craters and a circular fracture, scientists say.
Nvidia Corp Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang on Tuesday said that the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence will create powerful tools that require legal regulation and social norms that have yet to be worked out.
A chance discovery by an Edmonton area woman who was walking her dogs has turned out to be a massive fossilized bone that likely belonged to an Ice Age mammoth.
BookTok is all abuzz with the news that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will be starring in a movie based on the bestselling romance novel, "It Ends With Us."
Pamela Anderson is addressing discussion about a story regarding her 'Home Improvement' co-star Tim Allen that is part of her new memoir, 'Love Pamela.'
A pair of senior U.S. senators is urging the Biden administration to get tough with Canada for "flouting" obligations to its North American trade partners.
Though you won't be able to sit on the old, cracked pleather benches and take in the thick smell of gravy and fries, while the gentle sound of clanging dishes provides the soundtrack for your lunch, Zellers plans to roll out food trucks for those 'craving a taste of nostalgia.'
Shopify Inc. says chief technology officer Allan Leinwand will be departing the company with chief executive Tobi Lutke to take on some of his responsibilities.
Veteran goalkeeper Erin McLeod, who survived a string of injuries to win 119 caps for Canada over a distinguished senior career that spanned more than two decades, has announced her retirement from international soccer. McLeod, who turns 40 on Feb. 26, plans to continue playing club football for at least one season.
Three-time world champion Peter Sagan will ride a farewell season of World Tour road races and then target the mountain bike event at the 2024 Paris Olympics before retiring.
LeBron James was announced Thursday as an NBA All-Star for the 19th time. James will be the captain of one of the teams for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, while Eastern Conference voting leader Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will captain the other side.
Progressive and State Farm, two of America's largest auto insurers, are refusing to write policies in certain cities for some older Hyundai and Kia models that have been deemed too easy to steal, according to one of the insurance companies and media reports.
Tesla said it intends to invest US$3.6 billion to expand manufacturing capabilities in Nevada and is confident growing software-related profits, reflected in record net income reported Wednesday for the fourth quarter of last year, will keep margins higher than any other automaker.
Yellowknives Dene First Nation Dettah Chief Edward Sangris, left to right, N.W.T. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emily Blake
