Government of Canada Supports Nipiit Magazine

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 2, 2011) - A new edition of Nipiit, a magazine for Inuit youth, will be produced with the support of the Government of Canada. The funding was announced today by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Member of Parliament for Nunavut, Regional Minister for the North, and Health Minister, on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

The funding will enable Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to create the second edition of Nipiit, a publication with text in both English and Inuktitut. The publication will be available at no cost to local high schools, as well as youth and community centres in the Inuit Nunangat region, which includes communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Quebec, and northern Labrador. The issue will be ready for distribution by March 31, 2011.

"Our country has a rich diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis languages," said Minister Moore. "The Government of Canada is committed to the revitalization and preservation of these languages and continues to support projects that increase their knowledge and use."

"Young people across Inuit Nunangat may be separated by distance, but they have the Inuktitut language to link them together," said Minister Aglukkaq. "I am pleased that our Government is supporting Nipiit, a magazine that gives youth an opportunity to connect, share, and celebrate their common culture."

"Inuit youth are excited to be working on the second issue of the Nipiit magazine," said Jennifer Watkins, President of the National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC), a network representing Inuit between the ages of 13 and 30. "A magazine for Inuit youth has been a long-time goal of NIYC, and we see it as an important tool to help us connect with our peers across Canada's four Inuit regions and help us maintain our language. Of course, this is only the first step. Our dream is to make this an ongoing publication."

The Government of Canada has provided funding of $53,995 through the Aboriginal Languages Initiative (ALI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage's Aboriginal Peoples' Program. The objective of ALI is to encourage and support community-based language projects that contribute to the revitalization and preservation of Aboriginal languages and increase their use in community and family settings.

(This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Newsroom.)