Language summit scraps registration fees

Fees are a hefty barrier for many when considering major conferences, with most costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars to attend.

But the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages (OCIL) is hoping to break down those barriers by offering free registration to attendees for their upcoming four-day Indigenous languages summit, WAVES 2025, which is scheduled to take place at the Roger’s Centre in Ottawa this August.

“Elders, our corporations, our community organizations, our educators, and especially language experts and youth, we need to get them together and talk, we need to be bridge-building and bringing people together,” said Georgina Liberty, who is a director at the OCIL.

Alongside commissioner Ronald E. Ignace and fellow directors Robert Watt and Joan Greyeyes, Liberty has been working with the OCIL to help promote Indigenous languages and support revitalization, reclamation, and maintenance efforts made by Indigenous people since the passing of the Indigenous Languages Act in 2019.

The Office’s mandate lasts until 2026, and initiatives like the summit help fulfill a need for Indigenous language advocates to have a place to network and learn.

Liberty, who is Metis, said that the Office made the decision to waive registration fees in order to encourage more people to attend the conference, specifically youth and those who might not otherwise be able to afford the cost, after hearing feedback that ticket costs can prevent many from attending important development opportunities.

“It’s so important that we have our young stakeholders involved in what’s going on,” Liberty said. “Youth are our future, and so this event is also going to address the challenges youth face in learning their languages, and address the most often asked question, ‘Why should we learn?’”

Considering youth perspectives was key in planning the summit, especially since a conference space might be something new for younger participants. A physical space has been carved out for their participation called the 7Gen Youth Space, where young people can network with one another and hear about career opportunities, as well as hear from prominent influencers and activists, like Notorious Cree, Q’s Greenland, and Shina Nova.

“We’re also acknowledging our language speakers and knowledge keepers, and recognizing our elders. It’s both sides of the spectrum, with the people who dedicated their lives to doing this as champions of our languages, and then also finding ways to encourage youth to look at the opportunities and to learn their languages,” Liberty said.

Waneek Horn-Miller, who is one of the hosts for the summit, said she’s excited that the event is specifically targeting youth in its programming.

“I think it’s vital. I think we have to be meeting them where they’re at and getting them to understand the purpose of keeping our languages alive,” she said. “That’s something you can’t demand of young people, that you should just learn your language because it’s the right thing to do, but here’s the rest of your life over here that’s all in English. You have to make it relevant to who they are.”

Horn-Miller will be joined by fellow hosts Andrea Menard and Tunu Napartuk at the summit, as well as a range of performers, including Mohawk-Inuk artist Beatrice Deer, and musical duo Twin Flames, made up of Metis artist Chelsey June and Mohawk-Inuk artist Jaaji Okpik. They’ll be sharing the stage with other acclaimed Indigenous performers like Elisapie, Jeremy Dutcher, Aysanabee, The Halluci Nation, Andrina Turenne, and Donny Parenteau.

Danielle Boudreau, a spokesperson for the summit, said that it was a priority to include a range of Indigenous artists in the programming, and with artists from First Nations across Turtle Island and beyond, guests will be treated to a multitude of languages during musical performances.

“The focus is really around celebrating and sharing, really being proud of culture, heritage, and art, because language is really a part of all of these things,” Boudreau said.

After the welcoming day on August 11, the summit will tackle a theme a day: Land and Language, Technology and Language, and Community and Language. An anticipated 2,000 attendees will meet in workshops, keynote addresses, and panels to learn more about the issues that are relevant to those themes and share their own experiences navigating language-learning in their communities.

“There’s a huge interest about what’s happening in AI (artificial intelligence) especially with Indigenous languages in Canada,” Liberty said, emphasizing the importance of summits like this creating the space for language advocates to discuss the avenues of possibilities and challenges that come with learning in our modern world.

“People are curious about what’s going on and they want to have a chance to bring their stories forward and talk about what they’re doing, what challenges they’re facing as they’re leading these revitalization efforts.”

Horn-Miller said she’s already preparing for the summit and is excited to take in lessons from fellow Onkwehón:we who will share what their language means to them - a valuable message to hear directly from a speaker, she said.

“I’m just very fortunate to be a bystander who gets to see all of these experts and amazing people come together and talk about what they think, how they perceive things, and what they’re doing,” she said. “I just love it when you get together with people who have such a passion for something. It’s a very unique and special opportunity.”

Attendees are invited to register for the conference at www.waves2025.ca, where they can also find reduced hotel rates at locations across Ottawa as well as flight and travel discounts.

[email protected]