The Bloc Quebecois has insulted Canadians by saying Inuktitut shouldn’t be used in the House of Commons, says Jack Anawak, Inuk MP for Nunavut.
Anawak came under fire from Bloc MP Pierrette Venne when he addressed Parliament in Inuktitut before translating his comments into English.
“The member talked to us in a language I don’t know and I don’t understand,” Venne told the House. “I’d like to know if we must continue to listen. As far as I know, this does not constitute one of the official languages.” Venne questioned the House of Commons policy that allows MPs to use any language. She wondered whether “members who might be of Ukrainian or German origin could speak in their mother tongues?” Anawak routinely speaks in Inuktitut before translating his comments into English. “The Inuktitut language is 4,000 years old in Canada and the English and French languages are mere hundreds of years old,” he said in response.
“They (the Bloc), of all people, should understand exactly how it feels to be a minority. (Venne) should understand very clearly where we’re trying to go as a minority in Canada.”
