Editing Northwest Territories (section)

===Language===
[[File:Multilingual sign for eye clinic in Yellowknife, NT.jpg|upright|thumb|Sign for an eye clinic in [[Yellowknife]] with all 11 official territorial languages|alt=A metallic white sign on a gray background with a red and blue depiction of a building at the top. Below it is text in blue saying "Eye Clinic" in English, French and the other nine official territorial languages]]
French was made an official language in 1877 by the then-territorial government. After a lengthy and bitter debate resulting from a [[speech from the throne]] in 1888 by [[List of lieutenant governors of the Northwest Territories|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Joseph Royal]], the members of the time voted on more than one occasion to nullify this and make English the only language used in the assembly. After some conflict with the Confederation Government in [[Ottawa]], and a decisive vote on January 19, 1892, the assembly members voted for an English-only territory.

Currently, the Northwest Territories' ''Official Languages Act'' recognizes the following eleven [[official language]]s:<ref name="lang1">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/files/legislation/official-languages/official-languages.a.pdf |title=Official Languages Act (Northwest Territories |date=1998 |access-date=August 5, 2021 |publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories |archive-date=August 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814140425/https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/files/legislation/official-languages/official-languages.a.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="lang2">{{cite web |url=https://www.pwnhc.ca/official-languages-of-the-northwest-territories/ |title=Official Languages of the Northwest Territories |access-date=August 5, 2021 |publisher=[[Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre]] |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019184622/https://www.pwnhc.ca/official-languages-of-the-northwest-territories/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Chipewyan language|Chipewyan/Dené]]
* [[Cree language|Cree]]
* [[Canadian English|English]]
* [[Canadian French|French]]
* [[Gwich’in language|Gwich’in]]
* [[Inuinnaqtun]]
* [[Inuktitut]]
* [[Inuvialuktun]]
* [[Slavey language|North Slavey]]
* [[Slavey language|South Slavey]]
* [[Dogrib language|Tłı̨chǫ]] (Dogrib)
{{div col end}}

NWT residents have a right to use any of the above languages in a territorial court, and in the debates and proceedings of the legislature. However, the laws are legally binding only in their French and English versions, and the [[Politics of the Northwest Territories|NWT government]] only publishes laws and other documents in the territory's other official languages when the legislature asks it to. Furthermore, access to services in any language is limited to institutions and circumstances where there is a significant demand for that language or where it is reasonable to expect it given the nature of the services requested. In practical terms, English language services are universally available, and there is no guarantee that other languages, including French, will be used by any particular government service, except for the courts.

The 2016 census returns showed a population of 41,786. Of the 40,565 singular responses to the census question regarding each inhabitant's "mother tongue", the most reported languages were the following (italics indicate an official language of the NWT):
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| 1
| ''English''
| 31,765
| 78.3%
|-
| 2
| Dogrib (''Tłı̨chǫ'')
| 1,600
| 3.9%
|-
| 3
| ''French''
| 1,175
| 2.9%
|-
| 4
| ''South Slavey''
| 775
| 1.9%
|-
| 5
| ''North Slavey''
| 745
| 1.8%
|-
| 6
| [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]
| 745
| 1.8%
|-
| 7
|''Inuinnaqtun''
| 470
| 1.1%
|-
| 8
| Dené
| 440
| 1.1%
|-
| 9
| Slavey (not otherwise specified)
| 175
| 0.4%
|-
| 10
| ''Gwich'in''
| 140
| 0.3%
|-
| 11
| ''Cree''
| 130
| 0.3%
|}

There were also 630 responses of both English and a "non-official language"; 35 of both French and a "non-official language"; 145 of both English and French, and about 400 people who either did not respond to the question, or reported multiple non-official languages, or else gave some other unenumerable response. (Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=61&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Northwest+Territories&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Language&TABID=1 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census – Northwest Territories [Territory] and Canada [Country] |first=Statistics Canada |last=Government of Canada |date=February 8, 2017 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |access-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715171948/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=61&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Northwest+Territories&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Language&TABID=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>