Emancipation Day
Emancipation Day
Canada’s history of slavery remains largely overlooked. In Canada both Indigenous and Black peoples were enslaved. Emancipation Day is observed every year on August 1. It marks the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect. The law officially ended more than 200 years of slavery in Canada.
Why recognizing Emancipation Day is important
The effects of slavery and racial discrimination, continue to affect Indigenous and Black Peoples in Canada. Emancipation Day is a time to celebrate the strength and resilience of Indigenous and Black communities. It is also a time to reflect on the work that still needs to be done. All Canadians can help take action to build a more equitable future for everyone.
Note on language
Language shapes our understandings of history, and for this reason, there is an ongoing debate around the terms used to describe enslavement and those involved in it. At the center of this discussion are two sets of terms: enslavement, enslaved person, and enslaver versus slavery, slave, and slave owner.
Many journalists, authors, historians, and educators, choose one set of terms over the other, while others use both sets intentionally. Terms like enslaved person, enslavement, and enslaver emphasize that slavery was a condition violently imposed upon individuals by others. This language is used to center the humanity of those subjected to enslavement and to highlight the active role of those who maintained this oppressive system.
Conversely, slave, slavery, and slave owner, remain terms which are widely recognized and are often seen as more direct and rooted in history. Some also argue that the term enslaved person denotes a level of agency that slaves did not have.
Sources:
History of enslavement in Canada
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Early 1500 European explorers in the early 1500s, are known to have captured Indigenous peoples, including Beothuk and Haudenosaunee people, bringing them back to Europe as slaves or as objects to be displayed
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1600s As Europeans increasingly settled in Canada (specifically in New France) in the early 1600s, they came to rely on Indigenous enslavement as a tool of colonization, almost exclusively relying on Indigenous slaves for domestic work and to clear land for farming.
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1629 The first enslaved African reached New France. A child thought to be 6 years old, who was given the name Olivier Le Jeune. Over the next 200 years, enslaved Africans continued to be brought to Canada.
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1734 Marie Joseph Angelique, a Black enslaved woman in Montreal who worked as a domestic servant, was accused of setting fire to her owner’s home before running away in 1734. She was convicted of arson, tortured, and hanged.
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Photo: ©Canada Post Corporation, 2025. Reproduced with permission.
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1783 By the peak of slavery in Canada, enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples made up one-third and two-thirds of the enslaved population (respectively) of 4,200 slaves.
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1780s It wasn’t until after British colonial settlers founded Upper Canada, brining over 3,000 Black slaves to the country, that the population of enslaved Africans outgrew that of enslaved Indigenous peoples.
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1792 - 1800 Many members of Canada’s earliest legislative assemblies in Upper Canada owned slaves. Six of 16 members of the first Parliament and 14 of 17 members of the second Parliament of the Upper Canada Legislative Assembly owned enslaved people or came from families which owned slaves.
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1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada came into effect. This act, unique to Canada, made the importation of slaves illegal and stated that slaves be freed at 25 years of age.
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Photo: Chloe Cooley and the 1793 Act to Limit Slaver in Upper Canda – Ontario Heritage Trust Plaque. Source: Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. Reproduced with permission.
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1834 On August 1, 1834, the Act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies took effect. This act only resulted in partial emancipation as children under 6 were to be kept for 4 to 6 years to work as apprentices for their enslavers without pay.
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1838 On August 1, 1838, full emancipation was granted to formerly enslaved people.
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1834 Black Communities in Canada begin throwing celebrations for Emancipation Day.
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Photo: Emancipation Day parade, Amherstburg, ON, 1894 Source: Library and Archives Canada/Andrew Audubon Merrilees fonds/a163923
From the early 1600s to 1838, the labour of enslaved people was used by settlers to build societies in Lower Canada and New France. Indigenous people were first to be enslaved. Later, Africans were brought to Canada through the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved people worked in many roles. They served as domestic servants, agricultural workers, millers, labourers at universities, miners, fishermen, and laundresses. Their labour helped increase the wealth of prominent settlers and fueled economic growth.
Enslaved people were stripped of their rights, treated as property, given European names, forced to abandon their cultures, faiths, and languages. They were also subjected to various forms of abuse, violence, and suffering. The treatment of enslaved people led to many resisting the institution of slavery by rebelling, fleeing and helping others escape from their enslaver. One example of this is Marie-Joseph Angélique, who attempted to flee her bondage by setting a fire.
Abolition and Its Aftermath
Slavery was abolished in Canada in 1834, with all enslaved people being freed by 1838. Slave owners in Canada received monetary compensation for emancipation. Formerly enslaved people received no reparations, monetary or otherwise. Once slavery was abolished, the abusive and discriminatory treatment of Indigenous and Black Peoples in Canada continued. Indigenous people were subjected to the Indian Act, reserve system, residential schools, and day schools. Black Canadians faced racial segregation, barring their entry into public facilities (including schools), various professions and jobs, and places of residence.