Language policy in Nova Scotia is defined by official monolingualism, certain services provided in French, recognition of indigenous languages, certain projects relating to
Gaelic and certain services being provided in American Sign Language.
Official monolingualism
The only official language in the province is English.
French language
The French-language Services Act was passed by the House of Assembly in 2004.
It requires that services in the
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...
be provided by "designated departments, offices, agencies of Government, Crown corporations and public institutions" to the Acadian and francophone community.
The department responsible for administering the legislation is
Acadian Affairs and Francophonie.
Indigenous languages
The Mi’kmaw Language Act was passed by the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...
in 2022 and it establishes a joint committee to create a multi-year strategy for protecting and promoting the
Mi’kmaq language. In February 2025, the Canadian federal government announced an investment of 7,100,000 in the revitalisation the
Mi’kmaq language.
Gaelic language
At its peak, there were approximately 250,000 speakers of Gaelic in Canada, and as of 2021 there were only 2,100 speakers.
Children were encouraged not to speak it through corporal punishment.
The Nova Scotia government helped to fund several Gaelic-based projects.
The provincial government spent 1,900,000 to create a satellite campus of the
Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College in Mabou.
Sign language
Previously
Maritime Sign Language
Maritime Sign Language (MSL; ) is a sign language used in Canada's Atlantic provinces.
Maritime Sign Language is descended from British Sign Language through the convergence of deaf communities from the Northeastern United States and the Unit ...
was taught to children in school, but this was replaced by
American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...
, which became the dominant sign language.
American Sign Language interpretation is provided at hospitals through the LanguageLine App.
References
{{Reflist
Nova Scotia provincial legislation
Languages of Nova Scotia
Canadian language legislation