As N.S. moves to recognize Mi'kmaw language, Indigenous language speakers in N.B. weigh in

The tabling of legislation in Nova Scotia to recognize Mi'kmaw as the province's first language earlier this month has Indigenous people in New Brunswick wondering what language recognition could look like in their area.

The Mi'kmaw Language Act, which the Nova Scotia government aims to pass by this fall, also lays out steps to help support Mi'kmaw language revitalization efforts.

New Brunswick has three distinct Indigenous nations: the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Peskotomuhkati. 

Brian Francis, who is Mi'kmaw from Elsipogtog First Nation, about 91 kilometres north of Moncton, has worked as a Mi'kmaw language interpreter for both the House of Commons and the provincial legislature.

Francis said he would applaud a move of official recognition if it helped revitalize the language.

"We're losing our language at an alarming rate," said Francis.

He wasn't sure on the official number of first language speakers but Francis said he's hard pressed to find a fluent speaker under age 30. He said that because most fluent speakers are aging, they need solutions now.

Francis would like to see Indigenous languages recognized territorially, with each Wabanaki Confederacy nation having its own language recognized in its homelands. The Wabanaki Confederacy consists of the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Peskotomuhkati, Penobscot and Abenaki, with three having traditional homelands in present-day New Brunswick.

"Our language is a living language and it's a beautiful language and connected to the land for thousands of years," said Francis. 

He would like to see a language education body in New Brunswick like Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, an education collective that works with Mi'kmaw communities in Nova Scotia. Francis would also like to see political leaders in the province push for language immersion funding. He said if the language is lost, there's nowhere else to recover it.

"It would be a real tragedy if we lose it," said Francis. 

Ron Tremblay, Wolastoq Grand Council chief, has worked in Wolastoqey language education for years and agrees with Francis on a need to recognize the languages by territory.

Tremblay is an Indian Day School survivor and said the government and churches need to make reparations for their efforts to destroy the language.

He said recognition would go a long way in making amends but more needs to be done to repair the relationship.