Indigenous languages office facing federal audit over $10M conference
Five-year-old commissioner's office under investigation after anonymous complaints; experts question spending priorities.
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The federal government has ordered a financial audit into the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages after receiving anonymous complaints about how the office has spent its budget.
Canadian Heritage contracted an independent third-party firm to examine the office's books, records, systems and practices under the Indigenous Languages Act. The department did not disclose details of the allegations or provide a timeline for completion.
The scrutiny centres on how the office has allocated resources since its creation five years ago. Half a dozen sources, including former employees, say the office has failed to strengthen Indigenous languages and support research. Instead, they say it focused on extensive travel and hosting a major conference.
Last year alone, the office spent $10 million on a four-day conference in Ottawa. Patricia Ningewance, an associate professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba and a respected Ojibwe speaker invited to the event, was unimpressed. "I don't think they knew what they were doing. I think they had all this money, and so the showy thing to do is put on a big conference," she said.
Ningewance noted the conference lacked structure around shared languages, which could have produced concrete recommendations for preservation. She received no followup on what was accomplished. "Can you imagine, for that amount of money, how many students could have been made fluent?" she asked.
Sources also allege a toxic work environment, bullying, uncompleted projects and staff departures. Documents show commissioner Ronald Ignace and senior officials were notified multiple times of flawed human resources processes and unresolved harassment claims.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended an Indigenous languages commissioner in 2015, calling for urgent action to prevent the loss of about 70 Indigenous languages. The office was mandated to support reclamation efforts, promote awareness, and back research and innovation.
The audit will test whether those goals are being met or whether resources are being misdirected.