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APTN head defends new dubbing policy

Isuma, MLAs, culture minister oppose decision to dub Inuktitut language programming

ARTHUR JOHNSON

Given his background, credentials and current job, Jean LaRose is the kind of guy who should be spending most of his time accepting awards and honours for his efforts in promoting aboriginal languages in Canada.

But LaRose, who was born in Quebec of First Nations descent and now heads the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, arrived in Iqaluit this week to face hostile critics, some of whom accuse him of trying to marginalize or do serious damage to the Inuktitut language, and others who flat-out say he is a racist.

LaRose’s new pariah status across Nunavut arises, he says, from a well-intentioned desire on the part of him and his network to make programming more accessible to more people and to broaden it out to include more aboriginal languages.

In fact, he says, this was precisely what the TVNC, the predecessor organization of APTN, pledged to the Canadian Radio and Television Commission that it do with the new network.

LaRose said he was merely reaffirming this pledge when he called, in a recent request for proposals from filmmakers and other program creators, to start “versioning” or “dubbing” their works into other languages, including French and English, rather than just providing a translation in subtitles.

This is done by replacing speech in the soundtrack of programs or films with translations delivered by other actors.

This would help to achieve a wider audience for programming, to satisfy audience demands for more programming in their own languages, and would vastly broaden the range of aboriginal languages heard on the network, LaRose said.

But the response in Nunavut from filmmakers and government leaders was universally negative, he acknowledged. “The line forms to the left and it just doesn’t stop,” he said ruefully about his Nunavut critics.

Topping the list is Louis Tapardjuk, Nunavut’s minister of culture, language, elders and youth, who insists that the new policy is a step backward.

“Any channel that you turn on the dial on TV, you don’t pick up any other languages except English and French, and APTN is the only station that our unilingual Inuit in Nunavaut can understand,” Tapardjuk told CBC News. He’s campaigning to have all members of the Legislative Assembly oppose the new policy.

Tapardjuk, other MLAs and everyone else were to get a chance to accost LaRose at a public consultation scheduled for March 10 in Iqaluit., just before Nunatsiaq News went to press.

Marie-Helene Cousineau of Igloolik Isuma Productions said in a letter to APTN that she found it “disturbing both politically and artistically” to hear about LaRose’s request for proposals. “How ironic that APTN would refuse to licence aboriginal language films not dubbed in English or French,” she wrote. “How do you call that: Self-hatred? Post colonialism? Short vision? Racism?”

LaRose said being accused of racism stings. What’s more, he said, APTN’s intent has been badly misinterpreted. Inuktitut language programming now makes up 23 per cent of all of APTN’s content. All other aboriginal language programs comprise just 2 per cent.

LaRose said he’d like to see Inuktitut programs dubbed into other aboriginal languages, as well as English and French, because that’s what viewers say they desire.

He said he’s had positive responses from producers in the south, including one French language producer who expressed a willingness to dub programs in aboriginal languages.

It would mean, he acknowledged, additional costs for producers, but APTN would be willing to negotiate higher licencing fees to offset these costs.

But he said he also understands that in some cases, the opposition to dubbing by some Inuktitut language producers might be intractable.

In these cases, he said, he intends to offer producers the alternative of having their undubbed programs appear on prime time spots on APTN’s “northern” feed,” which is seen in Nunavut, while in the south the programs would only be broadcast in the less desirable afternoon afternoon spots, when there are fewer viewers.

Of course, he said, that would mean such producers would receive lower licencing fees.

Whatever the outcome, LaRose seemed resigned to the prospect that he has made some enemies. “It’s very hard to meet all expectations,” he said. “Language is one of those things that can flare out the passions of people.”

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