Published
October 1, 2006
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Abstract
The 1979-80 Northern Native-Languages Project was
influential in developing provincial policy for teaching Native
languages as subjects of instruction, and for certifying
Native-language teachers in Ontario. It also led to the
development of culturally relevant English-as-a-second-language
materials for use in schools serving Native students in northern
Ontario. The project was unable, however, to advance the notion
of Native languages as languages of instruction. This article
will summarize its key recommendations, examine the reactions of
the stakeholders, describe the policy-making processes and the
policy decisions, and examine the impact of those decisions,
particularly on the role of Native languages in Ontario schools.
Although the Ontario Ministry of Education, often viewed as an
obstacle in the advancement of Native education, was prepared to
fully endorse the use of Native languages as instructional
languages, opposition from officials in the Ontario Regional
Office of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern
Development caused the province to abandon this position. The
suppression of Native languages in church-operated federal
residential schools is often cited as a factor in the declining
use of those languages and it is often assumed that the federal
government’s 1973 commitment to Indian Control of Indian
Education (ICIE) heralded significant changes in Indian
education. This study shows that, despite ICIE, policy decisions
in Ontario served to continue the suppression of Native
languages, assigning them a token role in virtually all Ontario
schools operated by the federal government and by provincial
school boards. While policy-makers recognized that many northern
Native students experienced difficulties with school
achievement, they attributed these learning problems to an
English deficit; their solution was to immerse students in
English.
