Canadian government apologizes to Inuit in Nunavik for mass killing of sled dogs [Video]

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree has formally apologized to Inuit in Nunavik for the federal government’s role in the mass killing of sled dogs in the region in the 1950s and 1960s.

Anandasangaree delivered the apology Saturday evening at the local community centre of Kangiqsujuaq in Nunavik, the Inuit region of northern Quebec. Community members and elders who lived through the dog slaughter were in attendance. Representatives of the RCMP were also there to show their support for the apology.

“On behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians, I am sorry, I am sorry. Please forgive us” he told attendees during a 15-minute speech that was received with a standing ovation by many in attendance.

“This was a horrendous betrayal…it should not have taken decades for Canada to apologize to Nunavik Inuit,” he said