A Focus on Parliamentary Language(s)

It’s been said that language is the roadmap of a culture, revealing both where a people has come from and where they are headed. As we explore “parliamentary language(s),” we can see how our democratic institutions communicate Canada’s history and anticipate our path forward.

As an officially bilingual country, Canada’s federal parliamentarians have the right to use either English of French in debates or proceedings (with simultaneous interpretation to facilitate communication). Other jurisdictions in the country have granted official status to Indigenous languages as well. In Nunavut, Inuktut (Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun) is treated equally with English and French in government services and institutions, while the Northwest Territories recognizes 11 official languages: Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Zhatıé, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, English, French, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, nēhiyawēwin, and Tłı̨chǫ.

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