The First Nations Summit is astounded and disappointed by the clear lack of understanding shown by BC Liberal MLA Mike Morris following his suggestion in the BC legislature, that the Government of BC should not invest in Indigenous language preservation because, in his  opinion, the funding would be better spent hiring police to crack down on crime in First Nations communities.

Mr. Morris’ insensitive comments show a complete lack of understanding of the importance of Indigenous language and culture, particularly in BC, which is home to sixty percent of  Indigenous languages in Canada. We sincerely hope that Mr. Morris’ comments are not reflective of the BC Liberals view.