A chàirdean còire/Dear friends:

The Gaelic language community received a blow Thursday with news that Stephen MacNeil’s government had laid off two staff members at Iomairtean na Gàidhlig (Gaelic Affairs). Gaelic Affairs is by far the smallest of the four Affairs offices in the province with only five staffers. So this amounts to a 40% cut to the office’s staff.

That Gaelic Affairs was targeted for cuts only serve to demonstrate that this government does not take the Gaelic community’s contributions to the province seriously. Indeed Gaelic Affairs is not taken seriously, in or out of government, by a large number of people. Within this province 30% of Nova Scotians claim Scottish ancestry. Gaelic is a unique asset here with the province benefitting to the tune of $100,000,000 annually (directly and indirectly) from Gaelic cultural events, education and other industries (Kennedy, 2002). Much of this activity is in the economically depressed rural areas of this province.

Yet there are those who complain about the few hundred dollars spent on Gaelic community signs and ignore the $35,000,000 spent on a single bridge which goes nowhere. There are those who complain about funding of Gaelic teachers for the few core Gaelic programs in provincial schools. These programs have grown to more than 300 students with a retention rate of 95%+ through to grade 12. The fact that these teachers are on a year to year contract instead of being hired full-time is another bone of contention within the Gaelic community.

I can attest that Gaelic Affairs employees are among the hardest working employees in the province. All spend time on weekends and evenings interacting with the Gaelic community. The province has seen a resurgence of the Gaelic language with census figures showing a three-fold increase since the establishment of Gaelic Affairs a few years ago. For this small amount of investment the province is seeing a huge return in safeguarding this renewable asset.

As for the two employees who were let go, both have provided invaluable service to the province through Gaelic Affairs. Catriona Parsons is native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. She is a prominent Gaelic educator, linguist and singer who has spent more than 40 years among the Gaels of Nova Scotia and was an instructor at the Gaelic College and a professor with the St. F.X. Celtic Studies Department for many years. In addition she is the author of a three part Gaelic instructional course which is still in use today. She is often called upon to give papers or teach at institutions around the world. She was the main go-to person at Gaelic Affairs for translations (mainly departmental).

Pauline MacDonald was the glue that held the office together. She produced the weekly Gaelic Affairs Media Reports which were e-mailed to Gaels from across North America and overseas as well. She also was the first contact person for visitors to the office by Gaels from across North America and Scotland. Only recently they hosted a group of Gaelic students from Glasgow.

At noon, Thursday, these two women were told that their services were no longer required. They were told to turn in their keys, collect their things and then were escorted out of the building. Many people are outraged with the treatment these women received after their years of invaluable service to this province and the Gaelic community at large. I expect the Antigonish office will now close and the Gaelic community stakeholders will no longer have a central location to meet with staff.

I am sure that the government could have avoid laying off 40% of Gaelic Affairs. It is an attack on the Gaelic community here and I would strongly encourage Gaelic supporters to show their support for Gaelic Affairs and sign the following petition against the layoffs.