Advocate for the legal recognition of Mi’kmaw, Innu-aimun, and Inuktitut as official languages of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Legal recognition of Mi’kmaw, Innu-aimun, and Inuktitut are crucial components of supporting equitable access to services for individuals for whom one of these languages is their first language. Legal recognition would support the provision of interpretation in essential services, such as healthcare. Without such services, Indigenous patients who are not fluent in English or French may not be unable to understand and consent to medical procedures when the physician does not speak their language. This creates significant barriers to health equity and poses ethical and legal questions for physicians and surgeons.

Legal recognition also supports government services in translating important documentation so that all Indigenous people can have a more equitable level of access to information about government services compared to other Canadians who speak English or French.

For First Light:

• Continue research and outreach efforts in the upcoming year to support Indigenous language learning, access, and use in St. John’s. Efforts will be coordinated with other Indigenous organizations in the province to ensure that language revitalization efforts in St. John’s are both aligned with and reciprocally beneficial to the language supports offered elsewhere in the province. (See Call for Change 4.)