Canadian government apologizes for mass sled dog killings

Between 1950 and 1975, thousands of sled dogs were killed in Nunavut by the Canadian government.

It happened while Inuit in the now-territory’s Baffin region were being moved from mobile camps to permanent communities.

Today, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett delivered a long-overdue apology in Iqaluit on behalf of the federal government.

"We have and will learn from these great errors," Bennett said Wednesday.

"We are committed to ensuring our future is different from our past. We apologize to Qikiqtani Inuit for the deep and lasting effects this has had in their lives and in their communities."

“Saimaqatigiingniq,” is an Inuit concept which means “when past opponents get back together, meet in the middle, and are at peace with one another.”

With today’s apology, Canada and the Qikiqtani Inuit begin to write a new chapter together, in the spirit of Saimaqatigiingniq. https://t.co/GOUBgTKxBH

— Carolyn Bennett (@Carolyn_Bennett) August 14, 2019

At the time, sled dogs proved to be a hazard in the communities and the government required owners to muzzle and chain the animals.

In 2010, an inquiry report revealed that it became easier for authorities to shoot the dog rather than enforce the ordinances.

Bennett said it was a mistake for the federal government to assume it knew what was best for Inuit people.

With files from the Canadian Press.