By Grand Council Chief John Beaucage
For the complete text of the speech click here.
“I am truly honoured and humbled to be here before you today as part of the Anishinaabemowin Teg language conference.
This gathering continues to be a beacon for all those who speak Anishinaabemowin; and, those who want to speak the language”….“I will be personally working with National Chief to re-engage the National Language Strategy to ensure full and proper resourcing to our community language initiatives.
No longer should we have to fight each other for scraps under the Aboriginal Languages Initiative.?
No longer should we have to underpay our language teachers.
No longer should we have to wonder if our grandchildren will speak our language.?
No longer should we have to wonder if our Anishinaabemowin language will survive”…Our Official Language Strategy
“As part of my Political Manifesto, the Anishinabek Nation took a significant step to revitalize the language by establishing Anishinaabemowin as our Official Language.
The resolution was moved by Grand Council Elder Gordon Waindubence and Seconded by Elder Merle Assance-Beedie.
The resolution states that Anishinaabemowin IS the Official Language of the Anishinabek Nation. English is the language of the Crown and will be a working language of our people”…“As a part of this mandate, we are moving on a practical, “do-able” Language Strategy.
We are going to work towards establishing an immersion language institute at the Anishinabek Educational Institute.
We are going to work towards offering immersion language training to our communities.
More importantly, we are going to work to offer Language Teacher Training to teach as many speakers as we can ‘how to teach immersion’”…
Language in our Civil Service
“We are going to provide mandatory language immersion training to the Union of Ontario Indians civil service.
I am confident to say, that in short order, every employee of the Union of Ontario Indians will be required to either speak Anishinaabemowin, or commit to becoming proficient in our official language.
We are committed to making those practical policy changes.
Most importantly we are urging our individual First Nations to do the same.
As a part of our “sovereign approach to self-government”, under our Section 35 inherent rights, I would like to see an Anishinabek Nation Law developed that would create official language regulations in our member First Nations.
We are going to establish a language development office at AEI to assist in the implementation of the Official Language resolution and work towards this Anishinabek Nation Law”…
Language in Self-government
“For the past ten years, the Anishinabek Nation has been negotiating a final agreement with the Government of Canada respecting Education.
This agreement will remove participating First Nations out of the education provisions of the Indian Act and restore our jurisdiction in this area.
This self-government agreement will allow the Anishinabek Nation to establish our own culturally-appropriate education system.
What an official language policy provides us with is the mandate to ensure Anishinaabemowin and immersion delivery is given the priority over English.
We will have the right to invest in our own curriculum, teacher standards and choose our preferred system of delivery.
It is my vision, to see that the Anishinabek Education System will be delivered in the Anishinaabemowin Language”…
Three Fires Confederacy Gathering announcement
“It is an exciting day for me to be here. I get the pleasure of sharing some news with you and leave you with a personal invitation.
Today, I’m here to announce that we will be hosting a Three Fires Confederacy Gathering, August 20-26 in the Baawating/Sault Ste. Marie area.
The gathering will be co-hosted by the Union of Ontario Indians, Assembly of First Nations, Shingwauk Kino-maage Gamig, Three Fires Society, Algoma University College and Sault College.
It will be the first time we have had this gathering since 1991″…
“I hope you will join me, National Chief Phil Fontaine and Three Fires Society Grand Chief Eddie Benton-Banai at this historic gathering in August”…
For the complete text of the speech click here.
Grand Council Chief Beaucage and the Anishinaabemowin Teg delegates from Wasauksing First Nation.
Lisa Osawamik, Grand Council Chief Beaucage, Charmaine Benz, Ron Yellowman and Martina Osawamik at the Anishinaabemowin Teg gathering.
Grand Council Chief Beaucage makes a cheque presentation, on behalf of the Union of Ontario Indians to Isidore Toulouse, President of Anishinaabemowin Teg.
