In 2021, Members of Parliament voted unanimously to officially recognize August 1 as Emancipation Day in Canada. August 1 is significant because it marks the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, after being passed by the British Parliament.  

The Act initiated the legal abolition of centuries of slavery that impacted over 800,000 people of African descent who were enslaved in British colonies – including here in Canada. Between the mid-1700s and 1834, 4,185 enslaved people were recorded in Canada. Of these, almost two thirds were Indigenous.  

The Act itself had limited impact in British North America when it passed – fewer than 50 people of African descent were liberated in Canada – and it included reparations for slave owners, not for people who were enslaved. The UK’s payouts to slave-owning families only ended in 2015.  

Reminders of Canada’s participation in slavery are all around us. McGill University is named after James McGill, member of the Assembly of Lower Canada, who enslaved Black people. Jarvis street in Toronto is named after the Provincial Secretary of Upper Canada, William Jarvis, who also enslaved Black people.  

To this day, few know about Canada’s history of slavery and the impacts of anti-Black racism that have led to the over-policing and over-surveillance of Black communities, and the enormous racial inequities related to housing, education, health and child welfare.  

Emancipation Day did not come about without struggle, and many lost their lives during the transatlantic slave trade and uprisings in the British colonies. 

As we celebrate the sense of freedom and liberation this day brings, CUPE encourages you to do your part in the ongoing fight to dismantle and get rid of anti-Black racism, which still exists to this day.  

What CUPE locals and members can do: 

Educate: 

  • Read The Color of Privatization, a CUPE report that looks at the origins and ongoing impacts of privatization, shares members’ experiences with contracting out, and outlines concrete ways to fight racial discrimination and strengthen public services. 
  • Learn about Black enslavement in Canada. 

Bargain: 

  • Read Temporary foreign workers in our union: A solidarity and action guide, which has been designed to help CUPE bargaining teams and local executives support members who are TFWs at the bargaining table and in the workplace.  
  • Bargain to include Emancipation Day as a day off with pay. 

Act: 

  • Read CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy in its entirety and take the actions outlined in the 10 goals. 
  • Participate in Emancipation Day events and activities in your region. 
  • Order CUPE’s Time to end racism button and sticker for yourself and for members of your local.