Emancipation Day a missed opportunity for action on anti-Black racism

The first federally recognized Emancipation Day in Canada took place on Aug. 1. It commemorated the date in 1834 that the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire. The act freed more than 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa, as well as thousands in what would later become Canada. It took years of community advocacy and three parliamentary attempts—with bills introduced in 1999 and 2018 in the House and Senate, respectively, and a successful motion first introduced in early 2020—as well as a global reckoning on anti-Black racism before it was finally able receive the necessary support and momentum to become a reality. The Aug. 1 date would have been a prime opportunity for the federal government to make a concerted effort to advance the myriad of stakeholder requests and drill down into the vague commitments for improvement it has been making for years. As eyes the world over finally turned to anti-Black racism in a major way last summer, many felt that the time had finally come for action on the calls that had repeatedly fallen on deaf ears. A prime minister joining a protest on Parliament Hill and kneeling in solidarity? Surely there’s no better indicator that a change is gonna come. “Today, Black Canadians continue to face prejudice, discrimination, and longstanding disparities in access to education, housing, and employment that limit their full and equal participation in society,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in his Emancipation Day statement. “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only further highlighted the social, health, and economic disparities that undermine the livelihoods of Black Canadians and many other people in Canada.” The statement also included the usual boilerplate language about having made some strides, but that there is still work to do. How fortunate, then, that the prime minister and his cabinet have at their disposal a comprehensive roadmap submitted by the Parliamentary Black Caucus last June. “As we reflect on our history as a nation, we know that there is still work to be done to combat all forms of racism and discrimination. Learning more about Canada’s true history and the place that Black Canadians have occupied for centuries is part of this work,” Diversity and Inclusion Minister Bardish Chagger said in her own Emancipation Day statement. However, as the Parliamentary Black Caucus said in its June 16, 2020, document: “This is not a time for further discussion—the Afro-Canadian community has spoken for many years and is no longer interested in continued consultation or study.” On Aug. 3, the first non-holiday weekday after Emancipation Day, Ms. Chagger made an announcement about recipients of funding under the government’s Anti-Racism Action Program. But otherwise, crickets. Emancipation Day was a missed opportunity for the Liberals and, subsequently, for the country as a whole. The Hill Times

Emancipation Day a missed opportunity for action on anti-Black racism

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Emancipation Day a missed opportunity for action on anti-Black racism

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