MP files notice for inquiry on dog killing

Guy St-Julien, MP for Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik, has filed an order and notice paper in the House of Commons on the killing of sled dogs in Nunavik from 1950 to 1969.

In his motion, St-Julien clarified the questions that an inquiry into the dog slaughters would look in to.

“Did the government (i) order the killing of the dogs, (ii) adopt a policy supporting it, (iii) promote it directly or indirectly,” St-Julien asks in the motion.

The document asks what problem the federal government wanted to resolve by killing sled dogs, whether any other ways to deal with this problem were considered and how killing the sled dogs was determined to be “the most appropriate action.”

It also asks “how many dogs were killed as a result of government decisions, policies or actions,” whether the Inuit were consulted, if so, “to what extent,” and if the federal government, through one of its departments or agencies, took any measures to offset the effects on Inuit and what these were.

During his visit to Makivik Corporation’s annual general meeting in Tasiujaq, St-Julien promised to push for an inquiry into the killing of sled dogs in Nunavik.