The government of Manitoba is allocating over $4.5 million for Indigenous language initiatives at two universities.

The funding will support a degree in Ojibwa language immersion at the University of Winnipeg, while the University College of the North will provide a comparable program in Cree.

Both programs are set to launch in January with the aim of helping students achieve fluency in these languages to enable them to teach.

Premier Wab Kinew emphasizes that Indigenous youth's well-being will improve if they are able to communicate in their community's traditional languages.