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Veteran legal interpreter hopes to see Elders return to advisory role to courts

'Bringing the Elders back would be a big boost to our system,' says Johnny Ayaruaq, who has 44 years of experience
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Johnny Ayaruaq of Rankin Inlet has been a legal interpreter for the NWT court system and the Nunavut judicial system for the past 44 years.

Johnny Ayaruaq has been a legal interpreter for the NWT court system and the Nunavut judicial system for the past 44 years.

Ayaruaq, of Rankin Inlet, retired three years ago but he agreed to return to work again in 2024.

He said back when he first started, he took a legal interpreting course in Yellowknife about 45 years ago.

He said similar programs are being undertaken now at the Nunavut Arctic College campus in Iqaluit to, hopefully, bring more young students up to speed with the process.

In Nunavut right now, there's only three of us who are certified as legal interpreters. We're aging and the Nunavut Court of Justice is going to be needing more younger legal interpreters.

Some of the younger students may be unable to meet all the conditions. You're supposed to be able to read and write in syllabics, and speak proper Inuktut. Sadly, our younger generations today are losing our language.

We have middle-aged people who are helping us out. When a legal terminology workshop is being held, they are invited to attend even though they are not certified legal interpreters.

If they are interested in the legal system, then they can partake in the legal terminology workshop.”

Ayaruaq said when Nunavut became its own territory in 1999, he used to travel with the courts to cover 25 communities in Nunavut.

He said then, after he had to start using his walker, he was reduced to just covering the Kivalliq region.

I'll be travelling to Arviat in the coming month and then off to Baker Lake, as well.

It meant a lot to me to help people understand about the legal system. We used to have Elders involved in those times too. They would be advisers to the judges. When the judge talked to an accused, the Elders specified Inuit laws.

A lot of people are not fully aware of the fact that Inuit did have their own laws. When Justice Beverley Browne retired and then passed away, the Elders were no longer invited to be in court. Then Nunavut Chief Justice Neil Sharkey retired just a few months ago (Sharkey worked his final day in Nunavut’s court on April 12, 2024).

“Now we have an interim Nunavut Chief Justice Susan Cooper who has been mentioning that the Elders should be involved again because they were very helpful and very useful.”

Ayaruaq said he doesn't know what happened after Browne retired but the Elders were no longer invited when a new chief justice was appointed.

He said Browne was the keeper of the torch for the Elders' involvement in the court system.

“Beverley believed in the wisdom and direction given by Inuit Elders and was a trusted ally of all Indigenous peoples. It was never the same after she retired and then passed.

“We used to have different kinds of courts during our days under the NWT, but, when Nunavut was created, it eventually became a unified court and that makes things easier for the judges.

“Bringing the Elders back would be a big boost to our system, as well.”



About the Author: Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative

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