Indigenous man's 'jaw nearly hit the counter' when told he could write driver's test in Ojibwe

Jack Sutton · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The erstwhile main of Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation got an aboriginal day astonishment erstwhile helium was capable to constitute portion of his driving test successful Ojibwe.   

Jason Henry, who holds a commercialized (Class A) driver's license, said helium went for the 5-year renewal past week astatine the  Ontario Drive Test centre successful Sarnia. When asked what connection helium preferred, helium said helium gave his accustomed answer. 

"English, unless you tin connection maine Ojibwe," Henry said. The clerk's effect was a full shock.

"My jaw astir deed the counter. Out of principle, my full life, I've ever asked for Ojibwe. I've ne'er gotten that connection anyplace until Monday." 

Ojibwe, oregon Anishinaabemowin, is an Algonquin connection with a assortment of dialects spoken crossed Canada and the bluish United States. It's considered an endangered language, with 14,535 Indigenous radical successful Ontario self-reporting successful 2021 that they spoke Ojibwe. 

That aforesaid year, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) added Ojibwe, Oji-Cree and Cree arsenic connection options for driving tests. In total, determination are 27 languages available. 

As an Indigenous connection learner who started studying Ojibwe as an adult, Henry was thrilled to not lone constitute but to walk the knowlege of signs trial successful his language. The roadworthy cognition and aerial brake endorsement tests were lone available in English

"We volition proceed our enactment to destruct barriers and amended entree to operator licensing services for Indigenous communities crossed Ontario," MTO spokesperson Julia Caslin wrote successful an email Wednesday. 

Henry was told that if helium failed the trial successful Ojibwe helium would have to wage a interest to retake it, but helium said it was worthy the risk. 

Ojibwe leans connected imagery

The grammar of Ojibwe makes a multiple-choice trial tricky for a 2nd connection learner, helium explained, arsenic it is incredibly precise.

Harder still, successful the lack of nonstop translations, the connection leans heavy connected description. If a motion indicates a divided road merging into a single-lane highway, it could beryllium described something similar 'ahead the roadworthy volition travel together.' Henry gave different illustration of a halt motion question. 

"It's 'you decidedly indispensable halt present and not determination further,'" helium said. "It's precise explicit successful the language, not conscionable 'stop,' which was beauteous chill for maine to see." 

Henry has since shared his find connected societal media, successful the hopes that others successful his assemblage volition travel suit. The Drive Centre clerk told him helium was the archetypal to ever inquire for an Ojibwe trial astatine that location. 

"For the young Indigenous lad who always asked for Ojibwe archetypal and was ever got told 'no', it's unbelievable however blessed I was to really person idiosyncratic say, 'that's an enactment today'," Henry said. 

"Anytime there's an enactment to person bully practice with our language, our images, our radical and institutions, it makes it a small easier for america to succeed."