By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News
February 13, 2023
Inuktitut should be an official language of Canada, according to Pita Aatami, president of Makivik Corp.
Aatami made the call during a wide-ranging keynote speech Friday as part of the Northern Lights conference and trade show in Ottawa.
“There are two official languages in Canada, French and English, as we all know,” he said.
“Why not make Inuktitut an official language? If I do get my own government one day, that will be our official language.”
Aatami’s remark was followed by a round of applause across the room. In the audience were several Inuit organization and business leaders.
Aatami compared the struggle to protect Inuktitut to provincial measures implemented in Quebec to preserve the French language.
Rather than pin one cause against the other, he said both Inuit and Quebecois should work together.
“Like the French, we don’t want to lose our language,” he said.
“If you don’t want to lose your language, we’re the same.”
Aatami wants Ottawa to work with Makivik on the move.
Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s minister responsible for relations with the First Nations and Inuit, said last month he plans on tabling an Indigenous language protection bill later this year.
Lafrenière travelled to Nunavik and Nunavut in January to begin discussions on the topic, ahead of further consultations to come later.
“I can see that we’ve got so much in common in terms of protecting language, culture, in terms of building issues, construction issues; I see that as promising for a partnership,” Lafrenière said, about building a new partnership with the Government of Nunavut.
Aatami’s keynote speech touched on several other topics, including mining consultations, the state of the two Makivik-owned airlines Canadian North and Air Inuit, and improving Inuit rights under the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement.
He called Nunavik an open door for investors from the south; however, he wants to see those investments go back to improve communities and support the people of the region.
Above all, respecting Inuit as equal partners is key, Aatami said.
“I might have a brown face but I still cry and laugh like you, so let’s be equal,” he said.
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“I don’t want to be controlled anymore. As a people, we want to start controlling our own destiny, our own future.”