The federal government has ordered a financial audit into transactions and activities at a landmark Indigenous languages office after receiving anonymous complaints.
Canadian Heritage didn’t elaborate on the allegations against the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages, an arm’s-length office set up five years ago after it was recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“Canadian Heritage has made the commissioner of Indigenous languages aware that we have received anonymous allegations and has contracted an independent third-party firm to conduct a special examination under the Indigenous Languages Act,” the department said in an email.
It said the review can look at whether the office’s “books, records, systems and practices” are complying with standards in the legislation. It didn’t give a timeline on when it might be complete.
Half a dozen sources, including former employees, say that in its five years, the commissioner’s office has failed to move the needle on strengthening Indigenous languages and supporting research.
Instead, they say, the office has focused on extensive travel and hosting one big conference.
Last year, the office spent $10 million hosting a four-day conference in Ottawa.
A well-respected Ojibwe speaker invited to the event says she 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,” said Patricia Ningewance, an associate professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba.
She said the commissioner’s office paid all her expenses, although she’s not sure of her total.
Ningewance said the conference may have been more successful if groups were gathered by shared languages, so tangible recommendations could be made on how to preserve them. She didn’t receive followup information on what was accomplished, she added.
In the end, Ningewance said, the money could have been better spent elsewhere.
“Can you imagine, for that amount of money, how many students could have been made fluent?”
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined the history and legacy of residential schools, called for an Indigenous languages commissioner in its 2015 final report.
The federal government, under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, said there was an urgent need to prevent the loss of about 70 Indigenous languages.
The passing of the Indigenous Languages Act in 2019 paved the way two years later for the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages.
It’s mandated to support efforts of Indigenous Peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen their languages; promote public awareness of Indigenous groups; and support research, innovation and the use of new technologies.
“This is like a once-in-a-generation opportunity for languages, and they’re squandering it,” said a source familiar with the inner workings of the office.
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The source and others spoke on the condition they not be named due to fear of job reprisal.
They allege a toxic work environment, bullying, uncompleted projects and staff quitting in frustration.
Documents including emails and letters as well as audio recordings obtained by The Canadian Press say commissioner Ronald Ignace, the directors and other senior officials were notified several times by former employees of the organization’s allegedly flawed human resources processes.
The documents allege harassment claims went unresolved and staff perpetuated a toxic workplace by micromanaging and undermining junior employees and workplace investigations.
The commissioner and directors were urged to examine allegations and take concerns more seriously.
“It was very much an eggshell environment,” said another source. “What this organization created is this spiral of chaos.”
Canadian Heritage, which provides funding to the commissioner’s office, said it isn’t involved in organization or management of the office’s employees.
Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The commissioner’s office said in a statement that it received three formal complaints of bullying, which were investigated last year. Personnel changes were made, it said, and there have been no new complaints since.
It said it’s also hiring an adviser to review its governance and human resources practices, “with a focus on ensuring a safe, inclusive, respectful and effective workplace.”
It said Ignace and directors Robert Watt, Georgina Liberty and Joan Greyeyes were not available for interviews.
Ignace said in a statement that the office’s evolution has had challenges, but “we succeeded in laying the foundation for an office capable of carrying forward this significant work.”
The office said about $10 million was spent over two years to organize and hold WAVES 2025, a Global Indigenous Languages Summit, last August.
More than 2,000 people from about 20 countries attended.
A Facebook post at the time said the conference featured cultural performances by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists and dozens of keynote speeches, workshops and panels.
Documents show the commissioner was advised to scale back on the conference’s budget, initially estimated at $8.9 million. The amount included registration, flights and accommodation for 500 guests.
“The cost of the conference is estimated at close to 100% of the commission’s annual operating budget,” says a memorandum from senior officials in the office, dated April 25, 2024.
“There have already been several international language conferences in recent years, and none comes close to the scale and costs being forecasted.”
The documents recommend the scope of the conference be changed to reduce costs and a strategy implemented to reflect the commission’s mandate.
In audio recordings from October 2024, a senior official expresses concern that the rising cost of the conference could affect the organization’s ability to pay salaries and rent.
The commissioner’s office said in its statement that it considered the information but didn’t say if it followed any recommendations.
Former employees said they were told to prioritize the conference above all other projects.
“Any sort of ongoing activity that’s part of the commission’s regular sort of mandate and duties were deprioritized in favour of this massive gathering,” said a former staffer.
The commissioner’s office said that wasn’t the case and that some research projects were simply deferred.
The first source said Ignace bragged about his work travels and that he was racking up Aeroplan points, nearing million-mile status.
“This isn’t helping the elder in her community in Norway House, who’s making $20,000 a year teaching her language,” the source said.
The office said that characterization is unfounded and significant travel is required to meet with Indigenous communities across the country.
It added that Ignace travels in business class “in consideration of his age, elder status and health issues, including sciatica,” and that travel represents just over five per cent of the organization’s overall budget.
Canadian Heritage said it provided the office with a $51.6-million, multi-year funding agreement when it opened in 2021. The department later entered into a five-year contribution deal with the office from 2024-29, totalling $16.3 million.
It also provided a 10-year grant until 2034, totalling $172.3 million, to support research, operations and studies on Indigenous languages.
It is not clear how many staff are employed by the organization. A notice detailing head positions from 2021 shows the commissioner could make between $183,600 to $216,000 per year while the director salaries could be from $130,700 to $153,700.
Canadian Heritage said an independent review into the office is also underway, as it’s required under the Indigenous Languages Act every five years.
The five-year term for the commissioner and directors is set to end July 11. Ignace committed to serving only one term.
“I am extremely proud of the work undertaken to establish this office and advance its mandate,” said the statement from Ignace.
His office points to successes of last year’s conference and a one-hour documentary it produced, “Rhythms of the Land,” featuring Indigenous artists performing in their mother tongues.
“Protection, revitalization and advancement of Indigenous languages in Canada is of utmost importance,” said Ignace.
UNESCO considers nearly all Indigenous languages spoken in Canada to be at risk or endangered. Part of that is due to residential schools, where Indigenous children were barred from speaking their own languages.
In 2021, roughly 240,000 Indigenous people reported to Statistics Canada that they could speak conversationally in an Indigenous language — a drop of about four per cent from 2016.
In British Columbia, many Indigenous languages had fewer than 1,000 speakers. Tlingit, for example, was spoken by 20 people.
Indigenous Peoples had high expectations for the commissioner’s office. Ningewance was one of them.
“I was happy that something was happening,” she said.
“Learning our language is a sacred activity, teaching our language is a sacred activity. The whole language is sacred, because it was given to us by the Creator.”
