Showcase meeting 3 – Tuesday, January 13, 2026

In a context where we understand the vital importance of revitalizing/re-energizing indigenous languages, how can we continue to ensure the place of French in our schools, while ensuring that one is not perceived as being at the expense of the other?

PRESENTATIONS:

1. Dr. Wendy Carr is a Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She was Associate Dean of Teacher Education, oversaw UBC’s French teacher education programs, and was an FSL teacher and coordinator in BC schools for many years.

She has edited several research publications, including a discussion paper on Official and Indigenous Languages Education in Canada for Canadian Parents for French (CPF). Dr. Carr will provide examples of Indigenous languages education programs across the country. She will also invite us to consider various orientations to language learning and raise questions about how advocates of French and Indigenous languages education can move forward.

2. Dr. Isabelle Côté is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She specializes in teacher pre-service and in-service education in the following three programs: French as a second language, French immersion, and the Francophone program. In her doctoral research, she focused on the integration of Indigenous perspectives into the French immersion program in British Columbia.

The purpose of her presentation is to provide a framework for reflection on the colonial linguistic ideologies that still exist and influence language teaching in our schools. Dr. Côté will also explore questions related to the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives in the context of teaching French as a second language.

3. Ashley Tulugak, Inuit educator and trainer, and François Ouellette, Director of the Éducation en français Division, Government of Nunavut.

Since 2008, Ashley Tulugak has taught all grade levels in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet, bringing her lived experience and strong connection to Inuit life into the classroom. She now works in Educator Development, supporting and mentoring teachers across the territory.

Ashley’s presentation highlights why revitalizing Inuktut is essential for student belonging, cultural continuity, and the future of education in Nunavut. She will look at the capacity challenges schools face and why strengthening Inuktut must come before expanding into additional languages. The session will also touch on the place of French as an optional offering when capacity and resources permit. Participants will reflect on what sustainable, community-driven language support looks like.

For his part, François Ouellette will bring the perspective of French as a second language education in Nunavut, while respecting the curriculum focused on Inuit language and culture.

PRESENTATION LINKS (will be posted 2026-01-13)

• Wendy Carr’s presentation
• Isabelle Côté’s presentation
• Ashley Tulugak and François Ouellette’s presentation (Inuktut and English)

Showcase meeting RECORDING (video)