The Current with Anna Maria Tremonti Thursday May 25, 2017 May 25, 2017 full episode transcript Note: Transcripts may contain errors. If you wish to re-use all, or part of, a transcript, please contact CBC for permission. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print. Copyright © CBC 2016 The Current Transcript for May 25, 2017 Host: Duncan McCue STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE Prologue » Gang trial reveals alleged murder plot against B.C. crime reporter Kim Bolan » At 31, she was diagnosed with autism. Here's how it enriched her life » 'It is a crisis': A father's mission to save drug-addicted teens from dying » After mauling death, dog cull may be only solution argues veterinarian » http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-25-2…24/may-25-2017-full-episode-transcript-1.4131721#segment4 2017-05-27, 1037 PM Page 1 of 43 Audio Link: http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/953247811517/ Facebook Twitter Email DM: Hi. I'm Duncan McCue sitting in for Anna Maria Tremonti and you're listening to The Current. SOUNDCLIP VOICE 1: Donnelly was a loving, caring mother. She put her daughter first. She lived with us ever since she was five. VOICE 2: It's like a nightmare. You can’t get up. Hopefully we can round up what dogs are around that are responsible and put them down. DM: Donnelly Rose Eaglestick's aunt and uncle are still in mourning. The 24- year-old woman was found dead earlier this month. The RCMP confirmed the young mother had been killed by a pack of stray dogs while walking home one night. She was mauled beyond recognition. Her death has shocked Little Grand Rapids First Nation, a fly-in community in northern Manitoba. Residents there say they're now living in fear, particularly for their children. So the community is taking action by offering a $25-per-head reward for dead stray dogs. This is the community's chief Roy Dunsford. SOUNDCLIP I’m scared for the kids. The dogs already taste human being. Maybe the dog will attack again. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-25-2…24/may-25-2017-full-episode-transcript-1.4131721#segment4 2017-05-27, 1037 PM Page 30 of 43 DM: The people of Little Grand Rapids aren't the only ones living in fear. Dogs have traditionally played an important role in many First Nation communities, used for hunting and protection. But overpopulation has led to packs of often aggressive stray dogs. Many communities say they don't have the resources to deal with them so culling is sometimes the only way to stop these kinds of attacks. But many people criticize the culling, saying it's inhumane and unnecessary. Judy Klassen is the Manitoba MLA for Kewatinook and the interim leader of the provincial Liberals. Her husband was among those who discovered the body of Donnelley Rose Eaglestick. She visited the traumatized residents of Little Grand Rapids First Nation last Thursday. We've reached Judy Klassen at her home in Steinbeck, Manitoba. Hello. JUDY KLASSEN: Good morning. DM: Your husband called the authorities when his crew came across Donnelly Rose Eaglestick’s body. What did he tell you about what he witnessed? JUDY KLASSEN: It was quite devastating. This had never happened before for a job that he was on in the north and he started describing everything and it was quite traumatic. He had to stop because he realized that he couldn't go on. It was too traumatic and for him to describe it to me was very painful knowing that he had seen it, knowing that the people who may have been family members to this person could have been working alongside him. But it was just devastating. DM: You were in Little Grand Rapids last Thursday. What did the residents tell you about how the death is affecting them? JUDY KLASSEN: It's so traumatic. It's really hard to take. The residents had already been living under that fear. They teach their kids how to walk with sticks. And we always see it when we're looking around, community members are carrying these sticks. And going to a first nation, that was the first time I've seen that. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-25-2…24/may-25-2017-full-episode-transcript-1.4131721#segment4 2017-05-27, 1037 PM Page 31 of 43 DM: What would they like to see done to deal with the dogs in their community? JUDY KLASSEN: That's where they’re lost. They don't know. There is still a lot of people that love—we all love our animals, right? They are treasured family members. And so for the troublesome dogs, they know what they want done. They want those dogs put down. DM: It may be hard for people in the cities to imagine dogs roaming around the community. But Indigenous people have been living with dogs for thousands of years without problems. Rez dogs are kind of part of life in the community. How would you describe the relationship with dogs in First Nation communities? JUDY KLASSEN: There was that love, like we depended on our dogs. I remember my grandfather with his dog. When his dog passed away, it was quite an upsetting thing. That was the first time I've ever seen my grandfather cry. And it’s because they were completely reliant on dogs to travel back and forth to their trap lines. They were our main modes of transportation. DM: What's changed? JUDY KLASSEN: What's changed is that with some people coming into the community and breaking our traditional roles, taking away our culture, telling us that it's wrong, everything started getting lost in that process. We were put on reserves and we weren't allowed to leave without asking permission from the Indian agent. And so it was very hard to maintain that relationship that we had with all living creatures. DM: Chief Roy Dunsford has called for a dog cull by introducing a bounty, $25 per dog, but I understand no one's taken him up on that yet. What kind of challenges is the community facing in executing a dog cull? JUDY KLASSEN: First of all, you have to have a licence for a firearm. And so if you don't have the licence, you can't use your firearm. It's a fly-in remote community so costs are triple for bullets. And so if it’s that much and so many http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-25-2…24/may-25-2017-full-episode-transcript-1.4131721#segment4 2017-05-27, 1037 PM Page 32 of 43 people are not employed, you don't want to waste your precious bullets which you need for your hunting on dogs. And so there's a lot of people that don't want to do that as well because it could be a family member's pet. The family should be supported to help take the life humanely. DM: So what kind of resources does the community need to prevent dog attacks? JUDY KLASSEN: What I would like to do is work with my provincial, the first nation and the federal to make sure that it's the people within the community that are equipped building capacity. There's a lot of vet programs like Manitoba Mutts, Save the Dogs Network that come into the community and provide spay clinics and all those kinds of stuff. But why not empower a person in the community? Teach them what they need to know so that person is always in the community who can then teach it to the next generation. DM: Why hasn't that happened so far? JUDY KLASSEN: It speaks to the neglect. You know everybody in First Nations, they have always been told what to do. There was always that Indian agent coming in and by that, it's not just the Indian agent, it was then the INAC people. It was then the other people coming in. So they never really knew that they could stand on their own until recently with this new federal partner that is looking towards empowering First Nations. DM: Some animal advocacy groups have expressed concerns about the dog cull, saying it's not humane. What's your response to that? JUDY KLASSEN: I believe that when a community is teaching their children to walk around with sticks, that's not humane for children. Children should be allowed to go outside at any moment. This morning I was out on my terrace. I have six kids. I come from a First Nation community. I never had to worry about thinking I have to equip my kids with sticks just in case the dog comes around. And that's the inhumane thing—the kids not being able to be kids playing outside. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-25-2…24/may-25-2017-full-episode-transcript-1.4131721#segment4 2017-05-27, 1037 PM Page 33 of 43 DM: Thank you for joining us. JUDY KLASSEN: You're welcome. DM: Judy Klassen is the Liberal MLA for Kewatinook. She was in Steinbeck, Manitoba. My next guest understands why the community is calling for a dog cull but says that's the wrong answer. Ewa Demianowicz is the campaign manager at Humane Society International Canada and she's in our Montreal studio.