The government of Canada on Saturday apologised to the Inuit of northern Quebec for the mass killing of sled dogs in the 1950s and 1960s, which devastated communities by depriving them of the ability to hunt and travel.

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.

A 2010 report from found Quebec provincial police officers killed more than 1,000 dogs in Nunavik ‘without any consideration for their importance to Inuit families’

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree delivered the apology in Nunavik, in northern Quebec province.

Inuit spoke about how much they depended on their sled dogs, and how much they lost when over 1,000 dogs were slaughtered by police in the 1950s and 1960s. For some, a formal apology from the Canadian government has brought a sense of closure and a glimpse of the path forward.

The government of Canada on Saturday apologized to the Inuit of northern Quebec for the mass killing of sled dogs in the 1950s and 1960s, which devastated communities by depriving them of the ability to hunt and travel.

The federal government has apologized for its role in the killing of sled dogs in Nunavik between the mid-1950s and the late 1960s.