Canada’s federal government has reaffirmed a major investment in Indigenous language revitalisation in British Columbia, pointing to immersion schooling, mentor–apprentice programs and community language planning as key pathways to strengthening First Nations languages.
In a statement recently released, Canadian Heritage said the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) – the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization for British Columbia – is implementing a long-term strategy with communities across the province. The release notes that FPCC and the Government of Canada established a five-year agreement in 2023–24 providing $131 million to support First Nations language revitalisation.
The announcement was tied to a recent visit by Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and the minister responsible for Official Languages, who travelled to Victoria to meet FPCC and visit First Nations communities. Canadian Heritage said Miller visited the ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School to observe immersion and weaving classes, met with Songhees First Nation language learners developing curricula, and visited xʷsepsəm (Esquimalt) Nation to learn about revitalisation efforts and honour the memory of Elder Elmer Seniemten George.
The funding, the release said, supports language classes and camps, immersion programs, mentor–apprentice models, documentation work and “long-term strategic community language plans”. Advocates have long argued that stable, multi-year funding is critical because language rebuilding is labour-intensive and requires trained teachers, materials development and intergenerational learning environments.
Miller framed the investment as identity work and intergenerational responsibility. “Languages are at the heart of who we are,” he said. “We are proud to support the work of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council in working with First Nations communities across British Columbia to reclaim, protect and pass on their languages to future generations.”
FPCC chief executive Tracey Herbert said the visit highlighted the impact of sustained investment. “It was an honour to meet with Minister Miller and provide him with opportunities to connect with community partners, witness their amazing success and see the impact of investments in language revitalization,” she said. “Communities are working hard and achieving results.”
Community representatives also emphasised the practical arc of revitalisation — from recovering archival recordings to building classroom resources. “We shared with him the story of how our language program has grown from locating museum audio archives to the creation of dictionaries, textbooks and community classes, including daily classes for children,” said Andrew Cienski, a Language Revitalization Specialist with (xʷsepsəm) Esquimalt Nation.
For Indigenous communities, the work is often described as both cultural survival and healing, restoring connection to Country, kin and ceremony through language… and building new generations of speakers in places where colonial policy severely disrupted transmission.
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