‘Momentous change’ will permit lawmakers in Canadian province to address chamber in ‘first languages’
The Ontario government house leader, Paul Calandra, this week moved to amend a standing order that previously required lawmakers to use either English or French. Following a vote, that order now allows for an “Indigenous language spoken in Canada” to be used when addressing the speaker or chamber.
Sol Mamakwa, a member of the New Democratic party who represents the Kiiwetinoong electoral district, recalled being punished for speaking Ojibwe (Anishinaabemowin) in his youth.
“I am very honoured to be able to speak today on behalf of the people of Kiiwetinoong, on behalf of the people that were never allowed to speak their language in colonial institutions,” Mamakwa told the legislature. “These racist and colonizing policies led to language loss.”
I struggle with this. I recognize the sentiment and history, but how are we to vote or understand an issue that has to be translated. In my workplace I’ve been asked to provide contracts in other languages. I don’t speak them. I can’t approve or sign off on them. There has to be ways to ensure what is being translated is accurate and with such a (comparatively) small percent of the language speakers involved or monitoring that level of government it seems like an opportunity for messages to get skewed.
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I struggle with this. I recognize the sentiment and history, but how are we to vote or understand an issue that has to be translated. In my workplace I’ve been asked to provide contracts in other languages. I don’t speak them. I can’t approve or sign off on them. There has to be ways to ensure what is being translated is accurate and with such a (comparatively) small percent of the language speakers involved or monitoring that level of government it seems like an opportunity for messages to get skewed.