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Janine Metallic, DISE, on Legislating Indigenous Languages in Quebec in the Montreal Gazette

Published: 17 April 2023

Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education's Janine Metallic was featured in the Montreal Gazette article: First Nations leaders want Quebec to drop plans for Indigenous language law.

"By virtue of their inherent right to self-government, First Nations elect their own government and have the legitimacy to adopt their own laws."

The Coalition Avenir Qu茅bec (CAQ) government plans to table legislation to protect First Nations languages and cultures. However, leaders from the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) and the First Nations Education Council (FNEC) are urging Premier Fran莽ois Legault to scrap those plans as they maintain that it is up to First Nations themselves "to teach and legislate on our own languages."

Excerpt from Montreal Gazette:
Janine Metallic, an assistant professor of Indigenous education in the department of integrated studies in education at 捆绑SM社区, said it鈥檚 too early to say whether such legislation would help, because nobody knows what scope it would have.

鈥淲ould it apply only to the communities on reserve or in northern communities or in other spaces?鈥 Metallic asked. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a large number of Indigenous Peoples in the city. If any kind of legislation can be applied, it would have to be portable.

鈥淲e鈥檙e Indigenous regardless and we carry our language and culture with us.鈥

But one thing is clear, said Metallic, who is from Listuguj in the Gasp茅 and has retained her fluency in Mi鈥檏maq:

鈥淚t can鈥檛 be done without the input of Indigenous people,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hat Indigenous communities are looking for is recognition that we have a right to speak our languages.鈥

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