Canada officially marks first nationwide Emancipation Day | Human Rights News

August 1st is now recognized as Emancipation Day across Canada and marks the end of slavery in the British Empire in 1834.

After years of campaigning by black lawmakers and community advocates, Canada officially celebrates the abolition of slavery almost 200 years ago on Sunday in its first national emancipation day.

Canadian MPs unanimously voted in March to mark Emancipation Day across the country on Jan.

Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, a leading figure in the years of federal recognition of Emancipation Day, said the day was “not a celebration” but “a time for reflection, a time to remember our ancestors and a time to honor our” ancestors “.

“The national recognition of Emancipation Day signals the beginning of what we will do next,” said Thomas Bernard during an online event before Sunday, explaining that black history must be taught all year round across Canada and that an apology and redress must be discussed.

“If we use our collective strength, Emancipation Day and the recognition of Emancipation Day should make us move forward in very positive ways,” she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement on Sunday that “Emancipation Day is a display of social activism, justice and our commitment to a just future”.

“Today we re-commit to combating anti-black racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination and the related intolerance facing people of African descent in Canada,” he said.

But the history of slavery in Canada remains largely unknown, with much more attention being paid to slavery in the United States and more education being offered about what made June 10th a national holiday to mark the end of the practice.

Slavery existed for 200 years in Canada before the UK’s 1833 Law Abolishing Slavery was signed. The law came into force on August 1, 1834.

Slavery was practiced in the early colonies of what would later become Canada, with one historian estimating that between 1671 and 4,200 people were enslaved in New France (now the province of Quebec) and then in Upper and Lower Canada (Quebec and neighboring Ontario) in 1831.

Both blacks and indigenous peoples were enslaved in the early colonies of what is now Canada.

I am grateful to all community activists who have fought for decades for this state recognition & @MajidJowhari & his team at the HOC for sharing # motion36 https://t.co/vJYHnFi5W3

– Wanda Thomas Bernard (@SenatorWanda) August 1, 2021

“After British colonists founded Upper Canada, the number of enslaved Africans and their descendants increased significantly. It is estimated that 3,000 enslaved men, women and children of African descent were brought into British North America and eventually outnumbered the enslaved indigenous peoples, ”their Canadian government website states.

“Many enslaved blacks resisted slavery by fleeing Upper Canada to an area known as the Northwest Territory, which included Michigan and Ohio, and Vermont and New York, which outlawed slavery in the late 18th century had.”

Canadian parishes and provinces – including Ontario, the country’s largest province, and Nova Scotia, home to a historic black community – have also officially recognized Emancipation Day.

Several events are planned nationwide on Sunday.

For their part, community advocates also urge the authorities to go beyond symbolic recognition and address the longstanding effects of slavery in Canada, such as systemic racism against blacks.

“Emancipation Day and the creation of more federal holidays recognizing black people’s suffering are an important step towards equality – but only if accompanied by a real will to combine recognition with action and justice,” wrote Sarah Raughley. an academic, writer, and novelist in a July 31 column for CBC News.

“For real progress we need more than just a tacit recognition of Canadians and our government,” wrote the Canadian Commission for UNESCO this week in a blog post.

“Watching a shameful historical moment in our history is one thing. Doing something proactively to tackle your legacy is another. “