The federal government is providing $45 million in compensation to Inuit in Nunavik as part of Canada's apology for its role in the killing of sled dogs between the mid-1950s and the late 1960s.

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.

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.