Emancipation Day

Date and Time
Type
Student Support
Attendance Type
Off-Campus
Topics
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Government of Canada Emancipation Day graphic

The Origins of Emancipation Day 

Emancipation Day, observed annually on August 1 in Canada, commemorates the day the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into force across the British Empire. This occurred 205 years after the first recorded person of African descent, a six-year-old boy named Olivier Le Jeune, was sold into enslavement in New France (Quebec) in 1629. Prior to this, Indigenous Peoples were also subjected to enslavement by European colonizers in what is now Canada, a practice that began in the 1500s. Although the legislation formally ended chattel enslavement (where one person is treated as the property of another) in 1834, many enslaved people in Canada did not gain their freedom until six years later. Those aged six and older were required to continue working without pay as a form of "compensation" to enslavers. The legacy of centuries of enslavement continues to shape Canadian society, even as colonial revisionist histories have often minimized or obscured the white supremacy that underpinned this system and whose impacts remain today.

Emancipation Day’s Meaning Today in Canada

August 1 provides an opportunity to reflect on and recognize the achievements and perseverance of Indigenous and Black peoples in Canada, who endured and resisted centuries of enslavement. For settlers, it is also a time to listen to Indigenous and Black communities whose lives continue to be shaped by the lasting impacts of enslavement and who are leading efforts to confront its contemporary forms, including segregation, displacement, and disproportionate incarceration. While legal enslavement has been abolished worldwide, more than 40 million people remain enslaved today, with children accounting for approximately 26 percent of those affected.

A Local Connection: Hogan’s Alley

Emancipation Day also invites us to reflect on the history of Black communities closer to home. In Vancouver, Hogan's Alley was once the heart of the city's Black community, located where the Georgia Viaduct now stands. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century and continuing into the early 1970s, residents were displaced as homes and businesses were demolished to make way for urban redevelopment, including construction of the viaduct. The destruction of Hogan's Alley stands as a significant example of systemic anti-Black racism in Canadian city planning and its lasting impact on communities. Today, the Hogan's Alley Society's Block Initiative seeks to address this history by creating new housing, cultural spaces, and opportunities to support the revitalization of Vancouver's Black community.

An Opportunity for Learning 

Readers will notice that “enslavement” or “enslaved” is used in this post, in place of “slavery” and “slaves.” This is the preferred language used by the descendants of enslaved peoples as well as most academics, researchers, and journalists. The rationale behind this nuance is well explained by Nikole Hannah-Jones: 

I think when we hear the word 'slave,' we think of slavery as being the essence of that person. But if you call someone an enslaved person, then it speaks to a condition. ... These people were not slaves. Someone chose to force them into the condition of slavery. And that language, to me, is very important, as is using the word 'enslaver' over 'slave owner' because these people didn't have a moral right to own another human being, even though the society allowed it. 

Other opportunities to honour Emancipation Day include exploring the event and resources below:

 

 

Type
Student Support
Attendance Type
Off-Campus
Topics
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion