LIVE Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
The federal government says it doesn't know how many of its employees are expected to speak an Indigenous language as part of their job.
Ottawa has been facing calls to expand the compensation it offers to employees who speak both French and English to public servants who speak an Indigenous language.
The bilingualism bonus is an extra $800 per year employees receive if they work in a position where it's required they speak both of Canada's official languages.
Some senior public servants suggested last year the government introduce similar pay for Indigenous-language speakers. That was part of internal discussions around how to alleviate concerns raised by some Indigenous federal employees about official language requirements, which The Canadian Press obtained through Access-to-Information laws.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has also proposed creating an Indigenous language allowance, and has said it's identified nearly 500 federal employees who speak an Indigenous language on the job.
So far, the federal Treasury Board has rejected the idea.
In a response to a question from the federal New Democrats this fall, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says 鈥渢here is no public service-wide data鈥 about how many employees are expected to speak an Indigenous language as part of their daily responsibilities.
鈥淚t points to the fact that providing Indigenous Peoples with services in their language is not a priority for the federal government,鈥 said Nunavut New Democrat MP Lori Idlout, who speaks Inuktitut.
鈥淲ith that being the case, it means that maybe reconciliation is not as important as they say 芒鈧 and there's a lot of work that needs to be done to make sure that reconciliation is realized.鈥
The Treasury Board has not yet responded to a request for comment. In the past it has said it's working to remove barriers in the public service.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people a major priority for his government, and specified it would work to preserve and promote the use of Indigenous languages.
The Liberals passed legislation with the stated goal of doing so back in 2019.
The law recognized that governments bear responsibility for suppressing and trying to eradicate Indigenous languages through policies like forcing children to attend residential schools, where they were not allowed to speak their mother tongue.
According to the legislation, federal institutions may provide access to services in Indigenous languages 鈥渋f the institution has the capacity to do so and there is sufficient demand for access to those services in that language.鈥
Kevin Lewis, a Cree language teacher based in Saskatchewan, said he only recently learned the bilingualism bonus existed, and he believes the federal government would be wise to extend it to Indigenous-language speakers.
Doing so could promote employment opportunities nationally, he said, and incentivize non-Indigenous people to try and learn one.
鈥淭he government apologizes and they have been apologizing an apology is usually followed up by action.鈥
Lewis, who has provided Cree translation services to the federal government, said he believes it should collect data on how many employees use an Indigenous language at work.
鈥淚t could be a hiring or recruiting strategy,鈥 he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2022.
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Toy giant Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets an error on the packaging of its 'Wicked' movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says that Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as "border czar" in his incoming administration.
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Two nephews of the beloved Harry R. Hamilton share stories about his life and legacy.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.
Rod Ashby was desperate to find his wife Kim Ashby after their newly built home in Elk Park, North Carolina, was swept away by Hurricane Helene鈥檚 floodwaters in late September and she went missing.
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.