The Manitoba Aboriginal Languages Strategy Annual Language Symposium is coming to the Thompson Regional Community Centre on May 27-28, 2026. The event will bring together language champions, educators, Elders, and community members for two days of dialogue, learning, and celebration focused on preserving and revitalizing Indigenous languages.
Hosted by the University College of the North Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation division, the gathering aims to move language revitalization forward by focusing on land-based practices and innovation. The symposium highlights the importance of the seven Indigenous languages spoken in Manitoba, which are Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuktitut, Michif, Ojibway, and Oji-Cree.
The upcoming symposium follows significant regional investments in language training. In October 2025, the Manitoba government announced over $4.5 million in funding to support new degree programs at the University College of the North and the University of Winnipeg. As part of this initiative, the University College of the North received $1.49 million to create a new Centre for Aboriginal Languages and Culture, along with $759,000 to support program operations, including a Bachelor of Indigenous Languages program focused on Ininimowin (Cree) fluency.
These efforts are led by the University College of the North’s Department of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation, which was established in January 2023 to improve access to language training. With 74 percent of students at the university self-declaring as Indigenous, the institution continues to prioritize reconciliation and language preservation. Registration for the symposium is currently open to the public.
