This February, Indigenous Languages Month highlights the role of language in the workplace
Celebrate Indigenous Languages Month with this year’s theme: Languages Work! Throughout the month, residents are encouraged to recognize the important role Indigenous languages play in the workplace and how they contribute to rewarding and successful careers.
Indigenous language skills can open doors to a variety of careers in the Northwest Territories (NWT), including roles as public servants, translators, interpreters, language instructors, and program coordinators. Nine of the NWT’s 11 official languages are Indigenous. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is committed to preserving and promoting these languages, while working to ensure that residents can use them in everyday life—including when accessing government programs and services.
This spring, the GNWT will begin rolling out Indigenous Languages Service Standards, starting with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE). As part of the initial rollout, front-line staff will receive training, tools, and resources to support service delivery in Indigenous languages, whether by email, voicemail, or in person at government service offices.
This initiative will roll out gradually as we learn and adjust, while ensuring Indigenous language speakers are supported both within the public service and when accessing government programs and services. Making services accessible in Indigenous languages is a central part of the GNWT’s commitment to providing equitable, person-centred, and trauma-informed support to all residents in the NWT.
The GNWT also continues to support language revitalization through programs such as the Mentor-Apprentice Program, the Indigenous Language Revitalization Scholarship, and Indigenous Languages Programming in Schools and the Indigenous Language Instructor Employment Plan. These initiatives aim to increase the number of Indigenous language speakers who can use their languages at home, in schools, workplaces, and beyond.
By creating more opportunities for Indigenous language speakers and learners in the workplace, the territory can continue to advance true, meaningful Indigenous language revitalization. This Indigenous Languages Month, we are celebrating Indigenous languages and the many ways they enrich NWT communities and workplaces.
“Our government wants people to speak their Indigenous languages every day and to feel supported in doing so. Colonialism has had lasting impacts, and revitalizing Indigenous languages must be practical and community-led. By working together with Indigenous governments, partners, and communities, we can help grow Indigenous language fluency across the territory.”
Quick Facts
- The NWT is the only jurisdiction in Canada that recognizes 11 Official Languages.Of these languages, nine are Indigenous: Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Zhatıé, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, nēhiyawēwin, and Tłı̨chǫ.
- This year, 40 pairs have completed hours in the Mentor-Apprentice Program -- the most pairs to complete the full 200 hours of language learning in the program’s existence.
- Since 2018, 91 Indigenous Language Scholarships have been awarded.
- Since 2023, 18 trainees have participated in the Indigenous Language Instructor Employment Plan, preparing to become full‑time Indigenous Language Instructors in NWT schools.
- Indigenous Languages Month provides an opportunity for all language groups across the NWT to celebrate their languages and culture.