Feds cut money for aboriginal languages

The federal government has decided to cut millions of dollars originally earmarked for the preservation of aboriginal languages, Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda said.

In 2002, the former Liberal government promised to spend $172 millionover 10 yearsand established a task force to come up with how best to preserve the languages.

Although the 2005 task report made 25recommendations, it was up to organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations to come up with plans on how to spend the money, Oda told CBC News Friday.

"I asked for the plans, how the money was going to be spent," Oda said. "There were no definitive plans. We have to be effective here."

Although the bulk of the money has been withdrawn, Oda said her department will set aside$40 million over the next eight years for the preservation ofaboriginal languages.

Assembly of First Nations spokesman Bill Cramner says news of the cuts comes as a surprise.

"We didn't get any warnings," Cramner said. "We were not aware that this money was going to be lost."

He said the AFN had a planbased on the 25 recommendations that came out of the federal task force.

The task force concluded that more than half of Canada's aboriginal languages were endangered and 10 had already become extinct.