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Bill 37 dead?

The committee reviewing the controversial Bill 37 to amend the Education Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act will recommend it be dropped."When the House reconvenes for its spring sitting, the standing committee will formally recommend that Bill 37 … not proceed further in the legislative process," announced Tom Sammurtok, chairperson for the Standing Committee on Legislation, on May 5.

The committee took a short two weeks to arrive at its conclusion. The deadline for public comments was April 21.

Among the many concerns expressed to Nunavut News/North as the bill passed two readings in the Legislative Assembly, the standout was the right of Inuit children to be educated in their language. Bill 37 deferred that right for Grades 4 to 9 by a decade and indefinitely for higher grades.

"Given the overwhelming lack of consensus in support of the bill in such areas as language of instruction, the role of District Education Authorities and increased employment of Inuit teachers, the standing committee is of the view that it should be allowed to fall off the order paper when the current assembly dissolves later this year," stated Sammurtok.

All submissions from the public will be tabled and made public when the Legislative Assembly reconvenes.