Aboriginal languages in peril - commissioner

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Victor Goldbloom knows that guarding Native languages is beyond his mandate. Or even his control.

But Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages believes he must at least make an attempt to recognize the importance of such rich cultural treasures or risk losing them forever.

"I don't have a mandate to do it," said Goldbloom during a visit to Edmonton. "My mandate refers only to English and French. I am, strictly speaking, stepping beyond the bounds of my mandate in talking about Aboriginal languages. But if I limit myself to the strict definition, I would be making less of a contribution and missing an opportunity."

As language commissioner, Goldbloom has worked for the past 21 months promoting the country's two official languages by ensuring that all Canadians can access government services in either English or French.

But he's also concerned that Native languages in Canada are in peril because not enough is being done to preserve them. Of the 53 Aboriginal dialects currently identified as living languages, as many as 50 are in danger of disappearing within one or two decades, Goldbloom said.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that only the older members in some Native communities speak their respective languages.

"If only the older members of a community retain fluency, and they die out before measures are taken to teach the language, the language will disappear."

It is therefore urgent, he said, to begin recognizing the importance of Native languages now, while the speakers are still alive to pass on their heritage.

"Recognizing and preserving Aboriginal languages is an urgent necessity. Inuit is strong enough to survive. Cree is widely spoken and does not appear to be in danger. Ojibway is wide-spread also. But we should still make some effort, as a society, to show respect to our Aboriginal brothers and sisters. I'd like to see these languages get heritage status."

Goldbloom said his motivation in all of this lies in his respect and a sense of responsibility for Native culture.

"It seems to me that we do not do a good job of teaching the history of this country. When Jacques Cartier set foot in Gaspe in 1534, the only languages being spoken were Aboriginal languages. And that gives them a different status from any other language. It seems to me to be time, urgently time, to show our support to these people who came before."

The bottom line in preserving Native languages, however, is money. The federal government currently funds Native language education through the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. In 1992/93, DIAND reported spending a total of more than $636 million dollars on Native elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Projected forecasts for 1993/94 put that figure up over $676 million.

But money is not enough, said Goldbloom.

"People will die and languages will disappear. The time factor must be taken into account. Preservation won't happen because of good will or pride. Preservation is not sufficient in itself. The creation of an institution would be no more than a repository where languages would be preserved. We need a broadly based resource for teaching languages. Human and financial resources are needed. That's asking for a fair amount but if we don't make a start, we'll be too late."