There are a couple of reasons why I don’t buy the RCMP report stating that there were no ulterior motives behind the Inuit sled dog slaughter in the 1950s and 1960s.

The first is that as soon as an organization investigates itself questions about that investigation immediately jump forward, who wouldn’t question statements to the effect of

We investigated ourselves and our actions and found that we did nothing wrong.

The second is that I have heard, with my own ears, the stories of sled dogs being shot by the RCMP, entire dog teams shot dead on the spot, in front of their owners; and I do not recall those people being either confused or befuddled about the event.

So reading statements that say

“We were not able to find one single reference or piece of evidence that supported the allegation — not one single act or piece of evidence under any circumstances,”

For those having any difficulity at all understanding what is being said in that statement here’s the translation

They are liars, they are all liars, and they are lying through their caribou parka wearing, kayak paddling, seal killing, dog sled riding, igloo building, raw meat eating, teeth.

Whether or not Canadians want to admit, or acknowledge, it Canada embarked on various programs of cultural genocide against the Aboriginal people of this land.

• it took the form of forced moves from existing homes and land into European style communities;
• it took the form spiritual beliefs being demonized and actively repressed;
• it took the form of language and tradition being actively repressed;
• it took the form children being taken from their families and dropped into institutions of learning that saw them beaten for the henious act of talking to each other in their own language or wanting to eat traditional foods;
• it took the form of sexual and mental abuse and humiliation; and
• it took the form of forced dependence on the system through restrictions on mobility and independence.

Canadians don’t like to think about things like that, thoe are things that ‘other’ countries, with ‘bad’ governments, did….. and they most certainly don’t like to think about the fact that this happened to Aboriginal people of my generation.

And what we see in the end, before our current government puts this whole thing to bed (as we know they will), is another typical, patronizing, statement of

Woods says police did, however, kill northern sled dogs if they were sick, starving or posed a danger to the public.

[…..]

“But if they, over time, have evolved into thinking something else was behind the dogs being killed, then perhaps there may be a feeling of conflict in the community.”

For those having trouble with the translation of that here it is

Anything we did was for their own good, oh woe is us, we’re so misunderstood, but that does not change the fact that in our official opinionwe remain right, they remain wrong and should just suck it up.