Support for Indigenous Languages in Quebec

The Government of Canada is providing funding for community-based language projects and activities for Indigenous children, youth and families.

GATINEAU, QC, May 9, 2018 /CNW/ - The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today that the Government of Canada has provided $375,409 in funding to the Centre d'amitié autochtone du Saguenay through the Aboriginal Languages Initiative (ALI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

With this funding, the Centre will offer free language classes to all ages and language levels, as well as language camps for youth. The program will fund 1,432 hours of language training for 378 participants. The funding will also cover the production of books in Innu, Atikamekw and French, as well as related audio learning resources.

The Centre d'amitié autochtone is a non-profit Indigenous organization based in Chicoutimi. Its mandate is to promote the individual and collective well-being of Indigenous Peoples living in the Saguenay region, and promote community participation by sharing Indigenous values and cultural traditions. Through their activities, they will continue to support and enrich their local communities with these language classes and language and culture camps.

Today's announcement is part of the federal government's effort to preserve, promote, and revitalize First Nations, Inuit and Métis languages. This initiative is funded through the ALI, which supports community-based language projects that support the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages and increase their use in community settings.

Quotes

"No relationship is more important to our Government than the one with Indigenous Peoples. An essential part of reconciliation is the preservation, promotion and revitalization of Indigenous languages. I am proud of the funding announced today, which will contribute to the efforts of the Centre d'amitié autochtone du Saguenay to support Indigenous languages in Quebec."

- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

Through Budget 2017, the Government invested $89.9 million over the next three years to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages and cultures.

Canadian Heritage provides funding to communities to preserve, promote, and revitalize Indigenous languages through the ALI.

The ALI, a funding component of the Aboriginal Peoples' Program, supports the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages through community-based projects and activities that range from the development of printed resources in an Indigenous language, to language classes, to the development of language preservation strategies.

Thanks to the budget increase announced by the federal government to support Indigenous languages, since 2017-18 and up to March 31, 2020, ALI is able to provide up to $19 million annually to projects.

Associated Links

Aboriginal Languages Initiative

SOURCE Canadian Heritage