Federal minister to apologize for Nunavik sled dog slaughter
Gary Anandasangaree plans to visit Kangiqsujuaq on Saturday to offer an official apology on behalf of government
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree is set to travel to Kangiqsujuaq on Saturday to deliver an apology for the killing of Nunavik Inuit sled dogs in the 1950s and 1960s. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Gary Anandasangaree, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, plans to apologize to Nunavik Inuit for the killing of their qimmit, or sled dogs, during the 1950s and 1960s, in a visit to Kangiqsujuaq on Saturday.
The apology is scheduled to take place at the Kangiqsujuaq Community Centre at 4:45 p.m. There are plans to broadcast the event in Inuktitut on the Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. regional radio station. The event is open to the public and will be followed by a feast, Anandasangaree’s office confirmed.
Anandasangaree announced his intention to deliver an apology in person on behalf of the federal government earlier this month during the Inuit-Crown partnership committee meeting in Ottawa.
In 2010, retired Superior Court Judge Jean-Jacques Croteau wrote a report following an inquiry that looked into allegations concerning the slaughter of Inuit sled dogs in Nunavik by people who were acting on behalf of the Quebec and federal governments.
In it, Croteau said “Inuit society suffered the harmful and damaging consequences of the actions, attitudes and mistakes of civil servants, agents and representatives of both the Canadian and Quebec governments.”
He said at least 1,000 dogs were killed in Nunavik during the 1950s and 1960s. He pointed out that although the practice affected the well-being of Inuit, the federal government did not intervene to stop it.
In 2011, the Quebec government acknowledged the impact of the slaughter of sled dogs and awarded $3 million to Makivvik Corp. to be used to support Inuit in protecting and promoting their traditions and culture.
In August 2019 in Iqaluit, Carolyn Bennett, who was then federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit on behalf of the government for colonial practices imposed on Inuit from 1950 to 1975, including the killing of sled dogs, forced relocations and family separation.
We want president Biden to come apologize
Ask him to bring Kamala Harris and do the “Trump Dance” YWCA on The National.🤘🌟🤣
I though Justin was going to come to kuujjuaq and cry and then hand over a cheque.
Every Inuit community deserves an apology, not just from the Canadian government, also from the US government, and the European government.
European government???
Yes! The European government.
Why? Because when European settlers arrived, everything in the north happened.
High Arctic relocation, residential school, sixties scoop, introducing canned food to Inuit, alcoholism was introduced as well when settlers arrived to the north.
I think wihat the OP was trying to get at was that there’s no such thing as a European government. Where is the capital of this European government. Who is the president or Prime Minister of this European government?
I can just imagine the confusion if you tried to take this request to Bulgaria, Albania, or Greece for example.I would imagine the initial reaction would be, “what is an Inuk and what is a Nunavut?”
Europeans introduced alcohol. The alcoholism comes from within you. Stop playing the stupid blame game and move the hell on. Y’all hold onto these grudges so hard and for what? To get another sorry from someone who didn’t kill your dogs, wasn’t in a position of powert to stop it, hell probably wasn’t even born yet.
What good does a sorry do. For you, who never had your dogs killed, by me, who never killed your dogs.
Will when you are privilege a sorry for an indigenous group won’t mean much to you, when you are intolerant an apology to indigenous people will not mean much to you.
When we still have people like you this is why an apology to indigenous people is important.
Also the apology is something that should not be taken as a threat for you, it’s acknowledging the past wrongs and taking responsibility for them as a government.
It’s a good thing.
When will Inuit be apologizing to the world for the genocide they committed against the Tuunit while colonizing the north?
There is zero evidence for genocide or the killing off of Tuniit by Inuit.
Not in the archaeological record, not in the record of Oral History.
This is a projection of the settler mind. One that understands the atrocity of European conquest, and wishes to cast the same shame and guilt HE feels, onto the victims of his ancestors’ crimes.
“Zero evidence for genocide or the killing off of Tuniit by Inuit”? On page 143 of Uqalurait: An Oral History of Nunavut, Louis Uqsuqituq Aivilingmiut stated that “Before there were any Inuit, the first people were called Tuniit. They were strong but the Inuit killed them and took their land away.”
On behalf of the makivik corporation, this apology from the federal government minister and the r c m p is only for the dog slaughter for the inuit of nunavik. i asked if i could attend the formal apology from the federal government and I was informed that there will be an apology in the future at my home community on the east coast. I guess makivik wants to be politically correct. Divide and Conquer. i took it as, we are better than this inuit culture in nunavik than the inuit culture on the east coast. this is how i interpreted the coversation with makiviks legal adviser.
When is it ever going to end? Its all history now and learn from it! People up north just want to keep playing victim and keep taking handouts.
Through this dog slaughter, don’t you think or believe this caused traumatic experiences for the dog owner’s and their families? Don’t you believe the father figures had to have their way of hunting and transportation by the federal government and their r c m p officers?
With the trauma they endured don’t you believe that the family structure was divided and became more violent. Domestic violence by the father figure of the household was bound to happen when their best friends were slaughtered. This being the Husky Dogs. With the ever presence of having your pets and friends slaughtered, who else were to blame when the federal government employees and r c m p officers left the communities. Also add in the mixture of alcohol and this created a ticking time bomb in the Inuit communities. This ticking time bomb would be alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness, family violence, domestic violence, community violence, murder and suicides. This may have happened in the past but the intergenerational trauma still lingers on today through the Husky Dog Slaughter. This is what ordinary people tend to forget. Its not the free hand out we are seeking, its the apology from the federal government and the r c m p officers apology and than comes forgiveness and acceptance of the Dog Slaughter. Than we begin to heal emotionally and spiritually.
So you just want us to sweep it back under the rug?
Too bad that will never happen again. We will make noise and keep making noise. All those poor babies that got taken away and swept under the rug will always be remembered. All the poor parents who passed on generational trauma to use all will never have to suffer in silence again.
so forget about sweeping it under the rug again!
You are, of course, completely wrong. It will fade and be forgotten just like everything else.
If something as meaningful as the Holocaust is fading from memory something that is, relatively speaking, as minor and insignificant as residential schools in Northern Canada will be forgotten and will be a footnote in the history books within a generation or two.
Not saying it should be that way, but you’re incredibly naïve if you think it won’t be.
What’s you making noise going to do that benefit to Inuit ? The more noise you make , the more superficial apologies you get , along with a few bucks, and a big load of stay unwell. It’s Inuit that got to do this. Why trust a system that wrong you once before? Say the hell with that, and do it yourself. Healing will not come if you don’t do it. No one cares about you like you care about yourself, so what’s your goal I. Making noise? It’s only hurting yourself. No one , nowhere can help you , like you can.
Missing the whole point. its okay I’m at peace making noise. its about Truth & Reconciliation
Inuit dogs were and are nothing more than tools. They aren’t man’s best friend otherwise my hamlet wouldn’t destroy 400 dogs a year.
Not sure why money is always front and centre. Most of us weren’t around in the fifties and none of us engaged in any of this activity…so why are we paying? That money should go to animal welfare in these communities rather than go down the wastehole of mismanagement. Hundreds of dogs are slaughtered every year by indigenous folks in pickup trucks in mass culls. Rather than engage in meaningful population control strategies, these dog “best friends” largely live horrific lives devoid of any regard for their welfare and stewardship.
Humans domesticated dogs and have the intelligence and responsibility to be compassionate caretakers …but you have to give a shit about dogs. The indigenous leaders do nothing to support the independence and advancement of their people. The indigenous leadership uses mass shootings to control dogs…and their treatment of their people’s isn’t much better. You got the money…maybe think about using it for something good this time. Uh huh.