The Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories have signed the Canada-Northwest Territories Agreement on Indigenous Languages, which will provide a total of $17.7M in funding from 2024-25 to 2026-27. $5.9M each year will be provided to Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, education bodies, communications societies, and community radio stations to support Indigenous language programs and initiatives. The funding amount, which has not changed since 2016, has been criticized given that the number of speakers of some Indigenous languages has dropped in the last five years. NWT Languages Commissioner Brenda Gauthier said that this erosion is “alarming” and requires “immediate steps be taken” to prevent further language loss.
