Ottawa to Compensate Inuit in Nunavik for Mass Sledding dog Slaughter

Several decades ago, the federal government slaughtered millions of sled dogs in Nunavik, resulting in immense devastation.

Mounties, Hudson’s Bay Company employees, and other authorities killed over 1,000 dogs in Nunavik, the Inuit region of northern Quebec, between the mid-1950s and late 1960s.

CBC News reported that Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree would travel to the region to apologize on behalf of the federal government. He expects to make the trip by the end of the month.

During the process, Anandasangaree’s way of life was destroyed. “It decimated people’s self-confidence… And its effects still linger.”

Upon hearing about the slaughter in 1999, Pita Aatami of the Makivvik Corporation, the organization representing the Inuit in Nunavik, initiated an investigation.

Aatami said, “It hurt so much.” People who lost their independence and mobility were hurt so much.” I want to resolve that.”

Since then, CCAatami has called for a federal apology. At the time, authorities claimed the dogs constituted a safety threat.

Nevertheless, Aatami argues that the dogs were killed to force nomadic Inuit into settled communities, where many turned to drink to numb the pain and became sick.

Dogs were not pets, Aatami said. Historically, Inuit hunters used them for transportation and hunting.

Quebec apologized and offered compensation to former sled dog owners in 2011. So far, Ottawa hasn’t offered compensation.

Aatami said it would be great for the survivors. They will be able to close a painful chapter in their lives with that.

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Aatami said many feels as though the killings took place yesterday. Pain remains raw and trauma runs intergenerationally, he added.

Nunavik’s entire population was slaughtered. Neither the Inuit nor the historians were consulted. Families and crying children witnessed the dogs’ deaths, Aatami said.

Aatami spoke with a woman who pleaded with police to save one of her nine dogs.

However, the policeman failed to pay attention, Aatami stated. Dogs were shot all over the place.”

Dogs died from gunshot wounds sometimes and didn’t die instantly. They were then burned alive in large numbers.

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Aatami explained that the campers could not return to their homes. Their traplines were no longer accessible. They were powerless.

Dogs were used to hunt seals and pull sleds during hunting trips. Aatami said they were also used as food when the Inuit faced starvation.

Snowmobiles were the only means of transport for Inuit without dogs. Despite their expensive prices, sled dogs could always find their way home in blizzards, unlike the machines.

Huskies were eventually imported from Greenland into Inuit dog teams. Nunavik Inuit now have a yearly dog race covering 400-500 kilometers.

Several dollars will be set aside for cultural programming to educate young people on how to raise and care for sled dogs through federal compensation, Aatami said. 

Inatami says Inuit have been regaining their identity after losing it in the past.

Inuit leader Natan Obed said the federal apology will improve relations between the federal government and the Inuit in Nunavik.

As well as fulfilling a government’s solemn obligation, Obed, the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said it would also lead to future positive collaboration to ensure wronged people feel respected and acknowledged for their humanity and harm.

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