Critical Issues

More community outreach is required

The Department will consult with communities on its programs and services and place more emphasis on two-way communication.

Nunavut has the highest youth suicide rate in Canada

This is the largest segment of the Nunavut population and it has a serious and immediate requirement for support. The Department will focus on offering culturally relevant programming to support dialogue between youth and elders and communities. The key will be to generate self-respect and a connection to traditional values.

A language policy is needed for the GN to protect and promote use of Inuktitut. This issue is a multi-faceted one:

- Inuit staff must be developed to progress up through the government to senior
  management.

- More language training is needed for current unilingual English and French speaking
  government employees.

- The Department's Language Bureau must become capable of responding to
   requests for new terminology. The Language Bureau will also redefine its role to be
   able to take on the increased demand for translation that will come when Inuktitut is
   the working language of the government.

Nunavut needs reliable data

To be able to effectively serve all segments of the department's mandate, and to raise the profile of Nunavut issues at federal levels, there is a requirement for data on language, elders, youth, status of women, and persons with disabilities.

The GN requires guidance from elders on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit

The Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth will take the lead in coordinating the Katimajiit to work toward the Bathurst Mandate goals to incorporate IQ in the government workplace. The Katimajiit will be made up of Nunavummiut respected for their knowledge of IQ and will serve as a resource to the government as it implements IQ into its corporate culture.

There is limited time to learn from the generation of Nunavummiut who grew up on the land

There is an urgent need to record oral histories and language dialects, to preserve the richness of Inuit culture for future generations to learn from the elders' experience.