Since the late 1970s, the federal government has paid a bonus of C$800 (US$617) to workers who use English and French, the country’s two official languages. But Canada has more than 60 aboriginal languages, and about 500 federal employees often speak an aboriginal language at work. A recent proposal called for the bonus to reflect a more diverse workforce, but the proposal was rejected by the Treasury, which said in a statement that it “does not plan to expand the scope of the bilingualism bonus to include Indigenous languages”. Lori Idlout, an MP from the territory of Nunavut, told The Canadian Press that she was very disappointed by the decision. “Canada was founded on aboriginal lands, first nations lands, Métis lands, Inuit lands, and for reconciliation to happen, that’s one of the ways it has to happen, they have to be given the same value as bilingual English or French federal employees,” said Idlout, who often speaks Inuktitut — the dominant language of the Arctic region — with her constituents. Other MPs from Idlout’s New Democratic Party called the extension of the bonus to include indigenous language an “act of reconciliation”. The largest union representing federal employees has also balked at the decision. “We’ll see where the chips fall on the table,” tweeted the Public Service Alliance of Canada. “A bilingual Indigenous language allowance helps create a stronger, more diverse public service and recognizes the unique experiences lived by Indigenous workers.” Representing 120,000 federal employees covered by the Treasury Department, the union says nearly 500 federal employees speak an indigenous language on the job — but receive no financial benefit. The Treasury Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The program, founded in 1966 and launched almost a decade later, currently pays C$800 a year to workers who speak both official languages. The bonus itself remains controversial. Several language commissioners have questioned whether C$800 is enough to encourage an employee to study and learn a new language, especially since the figure has not changed since it was introduced in 1977. If the bonus had increased to match inflation, it would be worth more than $3,600 today. In March, the Public Service Alliance of Canada called on the federal government to increase the allowance to C$1,500. In 2017, the privy councilor published a report recommending that the millions used to fund the bilingualism allowance be reallocated to language training, the latest in a series of government reports to recommend ending the scheme.
