The Liberal Senate Forum

Statements & Hansard
^ All Statements

Inuktitut in the Senate Chamber

More on...

Share

Feedback

Read the comments left on this page or add yours.
Statement made on 22 June 2009 by Senator Charlie Watt

Hon. Charlie Watt:

Honourable senators, today I will speak to you in Inuktitut and in English.

I rise today to thank you for your support regarding the use of Inuktitut in the Senate chamber. This initiative was raised by Senator Corbin in 2006 and was championed by Senator Corbin and Senator Keon, for which I am grateful.

Today is Senator Adams' birthday and day of retirement. Tomorrow, I will be the only Inuk in the Senate. I will count on the skills of the interpretation team to convey my message to honourable senators when I wish to speak to my people in the North. Some of my people do not speak English or French, and, for them, our Hansard is not very useful.

For those who cannot read English or French, they can replay my Inuktitut version on the Internet. They can find this information by viewing my page on liberalsenateforum.ca. This is one of the ways that I am making our Senate more accessible to the Inuktitut-speaking community.

I would like to thank the Clerk of the Senate, the Senate administration and the Department of Public Works for their support of this pilot project, and the interpretation team for their patience and professionalism.

When we reconvene in the fall, I will look forward to speaking to you again in my mother tongue.

I thank all honourable senators for working together on this special project that is important to all of us.

Honourable senators can be assured that our community is very proud.


Recent Statements from Liberal Senators

Third reading of Bill C-309, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (concealment of identity)

23 May, 2013 | By Senator Serge Joyal |

Third reading of Bill C-42, An Act to amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts

23 May, 2013 | By Senator Grant Mitchell | Honourable senators, I would like to say that I have the pleasure of speaking on Bill C-42 on third reading, but I cannot say that it is actually a pleasure. I have some serious concerns about this bill. I have serious concerns about what this bill is intended to address, and particularly I have a serious concern because, in the final analysis, or maybe not even so final, it will not address that and it may actually make the situation worse.

Payment of Funds—Twenty-second Report of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Committee

23 May, 2013 | By Senator George Furey | Given the problems surrounding this whole issue, and particularly in light of the fact that we now know $90,000 changed hands, do you think it would be appropriate for Senator Tkachuk to step aside as chair for this review process to be seen as open, clear and honest by the whole of the Canadian population?

Payment of Funds—Twenty-second Report of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Committee

23 May, 2013 | By Senator James Cowan | I suggest to you that the overwhelming majority of Canadians share your Prime Minister's frustration and anger. Does all of this make you frustrated and angry?

Twenty-second Report of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Committee—Request for Public Proceedings

23 May, 2013 | By Senator James Cowan | Will you now support my request, which I have sent to the committee, to hold these proceedings in public?
« 1 2 3 4 5  ... » 
Recycle

You can retrieve this page at:
http://www.liberalsenate.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/5486_Inuktitut-in-the-Senate-Chamber.
Please recycle this document.