A translator and interpreter for four decades, Mary Rose Sundberg says she understands the importance of language in both individuals and communities flourishing: “One of the things I see often happening is that as soon as someone finally realizes that they want to change their life, their way of life, the way they’re living their life, they want to they go on this healing journey. And one of the first things people usually reach out to is they say, ‘I want to learn my language, I want to relearn my way of life, my culture, my traditions.’
“Your language and your culture is like a lifesaver.”
If elected in Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh’s six-way race on Feb. 8, she says she will advocate for more funding for the promotion of local languages.
“I think it’s time that the government set aside some money for upgrading, to learn your language and to learn your cultural ways,” she said.
Sundberg previously served four terms as councillor for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and was a board member of the District Educational Authority for almost 19 years.
Having grown up in Dettah, and currently in discussions with community leaders, Sundberg says she is coming to understand the challenges faced by the district’s three small communities.
Among the most significant of these challenges are housing and home ownership.
“I think the rules and policies and regulations need to be reviewed as well, because right now, it seems like it’s preventing a lot of people to own or buy homes, because we’re either living on Crown or Commissioner’s land, and we’re not able to use any of that for collateral to get a loan,” she says.
“And some of the programs that they have [benefit] certain people only: they fall into a certain brackets, whether you make too much money or not enough, there’s just a small window of opportunity so that people can access money for repairs or anything like that. So that too, is a concern.”
She said she also wants to promote culturally-appropriate health and wellness services in the district.
“I know one of the issues that everyone is having all over the place is wellness, healing, on the land treatment programs, language and culture and history,” she said.
Although she is running in a competitive six-way race, Sundberg said she hopes her contributions to the community will set her apart from the rest of the candidates.
“I’m hoping that the other communities can recognize the things I’ve done for my own people here, [that] they would recognize in other communities that maybe I could do the same for them in their communities,” she said.