The whole reason for the creation of the territory of Nunavut was for the sake of greater Inuit control of their local affairs. The conditions in the north have never been great, because they cannot be great. Ever try erecting perment structures with solid foundations when you need to get your materials from thousands of miles away and the ground is either permafrost or quicksand-like and unsuitable for construction? I thought so.

Before you decry me as an “Angryphone”, please note that I support Québec’s secession, and yes, I am a Canadian. I do so because Québec and Canada are polar opposites, and no democratic state can function properly if two sections of its population are so opposed to each other. Once Québec goes, we can reform the Canadian Constitution and overhaul the federation into something that is tangibly workable rather than the non-democratic dystopia we have now. And I think you will agree with me that both Québec and Canada would be happier as seperate nation-states.

I support you because I am sick of you. I am sick and tired of watching the shamelessly biased and ignorant federalistes grapple with the equally shamelessly biased and ignorant sovereigntistes (eg: you) while the whole country and both of our nations suffer under political stagnation. I am also sick and tired of the Canadians constantly debasing and ripping on Québec, while les Québecois constantly are debasing and ripping on Canada. (I have tried to explain countless times that Québec has been a selfless friend in our development as a nation to my Canadian friends, and OUI, Monsieur Bouchard, le Canada EST un pays et un nation….)

My point is, thanks for all your support Québec, but for the good of both of us, you gotta go!

Nunavut passed its own official language act last year, which will give Inuit of Nunavut a clear legal statement of their inherent right to use the Inuit language in full equality with English and French.

HOWEVER, the Nunavut Act (approved by Parliament in 1993), requires the new Act to be “concurred” by Parliament before it can be brought into force in Nunavut. Draw your own conclusions. The same federal statute further prevents the territory from making any law that would diminish the status and rights of English and French.

If one would try to make Inuktitut the ONLY official language in Nunavut, even if it gets approved at the territorial level, both House of Commons and Senate are keeping the final word for themselves, and both would have to agree. But even before getting there, Nunavut does not have the legislative authority to do so. The federal Nunavut Act would have to be changed first.

It is interesting to note that Maori was made an official language of New Zealand, along with English. Paraguy recognizes Guarani. Venezuala passed last Summer a national legislation that requires government offices to provide services in the regional indigenous languages.

In Greenland, Nunavut’s neighbor, Greenlandic (a regional variant of Inuktitut) has been agreed to become the ONLY official language of Greenland, with the support of Denmark, on June 21, 2009. Greenlanders will be entrusted with the powers to regulate on their own terms, without imposed restrictions, the use of other languages (and they do believe in learning other languages, as most Europeans do, and several speak not only Danish as a second language, but a growing number speak English, and some speak French and German).

On matter of sovereignty, wouldn’t it reinforced Canada’s position in the Arctic if Inuktitut was to be recognized a national official language in the Arctic? Or do Inuit have to assimilate and speak English or French to be true Canadian citizens, their guttural language being silenced during our flag parades?

pretty much a guessing game when humans get “bright” ideas although this has not stopped anyone from trying.

the cream will always rise to the top. natural selection is always humming away in the background with a healthy/unhealthy dose of hazard ready to interfere with even the most adaptable.

not much rhyme or reason – which explains why some people get hit by a bus and others get eaten by polar bears. personally, i’d prefer a quick hit from a bus any day of the week over being brunch a la mode.

and ideally i will be released from these goofy conversations at a ripe old age in the comfort of my own bed surrounded by loved ones. hey, you never know! – each week somebody wins the lottery.

Fon, I know this is not what you’re saying cause that’s not your style, but why should non-Inuit (mostly anglos but also some francos) in Nunavut be treated with kid gloves when Inuktitut speakers get no such consideration when they move elsewhere in Canada? The same goes for English in Quebec. With a few exceptions, when a francophone or Inuit person moves to the ROC, it’s “sink or swim, mon ami”.

So does anyone have any justification for doing everything to help the poor Euro-language speakers in Nunavut and English speakers in Quebec get over the shock of feeling like they are in a foreign place for the first time in their lives (although some may actually have been born there but lived oblivious to the culture surrounding them), but very little is done to help the poor migrant from Pangnirtung or Ste-Eulalie in Calgary feel at home?

Why the double-standard? Please, don’t anyone say that it’s simply because English is the majority language in Canada, as that doesn’t jive at all with Canada’s diversity dogma. I know people are probably tired of this example but imagine how the French or Italian Swiss would react if the German Swiss (a 60+% majority in the country) had personal, transportable language rights in German when they moved to francophone Geneva or italophone Lugano, but that their people on the other hand were told “speak Swiss German or die” if they happened to move to Zurich. Well, that’s not the way it works there, and maybe that’s why they have language peace.

As well, both Inuktitut and French were around in these areas way before the first English speakers ever set foot there.

So I fail to see why non-Inuit people in Iqaluit or non-francophones in Montreal have to be treated any more specially that Russians who move to Copenhagen or someone from Thailand who moves to Tokyo.

Unless there is some type of unwritten language hierarchy in Canada that makes certain languages and their speakers deemed superior to others.

however,

i am a capitalist also – and obstensibly i’m sure we share other things in common – but these tags or identifiers don’t have much to do with the burden of human experience.

you have singled out being british and white in this current piece as if imperialism was invented somewhere near hadrian’s wall – mixed the english language into a confusing piece that ends in ridiculing Canada. well done.

i say this is not well done, but half-baked. i did not accuse you of being a hypocrite – and i’m sorry your play in the markets didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. i can appreciate how you’re resentful about that the guy in the next inlet wolfing down blubber and you’re stuck with dried char from last year.

and honestly i don’t care if you’re a godless communist with a crystal ball or a guy with a keyboard and an axe to grind – we’re all in the same kayak.

would you be a conservative and would you have done your best to preserve a nomadic way of life? would you have imposed a hands off policy condemning people to the vagaries of climate, polar bears’ appetites, famine and no health care? do you expect time to stand still?

do you think things are getting worse?

why don’t you praise the exploration that brings bloodless diamonds to market?

do you honestly think the guys on the Franklin expedition 150 years ago were thinking about how to thieve oil and diamonds while they went mad, froze and starved to death?

why do you denigrate the 2000 year old western legacy that has brought our civilisation to this point? subvert the system if that’s your calling but leave the colour of skin and language out of it – please.