Emancipation Day 2025: Toward Justice and Better Futures

Photo: Moses Brantford Jr. leading an Emancipation Day parade down Dalhousie Street, Amherstburg, Ontario, [ca. 1894] 
Alvin D. McCurdy fonds 
Archives of Ontario, I0027817 

On Emancipation Day, we join people across the country in reflecting on the legacy of racist and colonial systems on this land, and the ongoing work to build a more just and equitable future for all communities in Canada. 

“Emancipation Day is a time to honour the strength and resilience of those who endured slavery in Canada from the Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, Refugees of the War of 1812 in Nova Scotia to the countless others across our country whose names history tried to forget. Their struggle for freedom shaped this nation, and their legacy calls us to remember, and to ensure history is not forgotten.” –  Russell Grosse, CEO, Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia 

While many are still not aware slavery existed in the earlier colonial foundations of Canada, from the 17th to 19th centuries, there were more than 4,000 enslaved people of African descent in the British and French colonies that became Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. More than 2,500 Indigenous Peoples were also enslaved on this land. The eventual legal abolition of slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834, was the result of the resistance and labour of these people, from Chloe Cooley in the Niagara region to “Charlotte” in Montreal, among thousands of others. 

Emancipation Day was formally recognized in Canada’s Parliament in 2021, and in recent years there has been increased public dialogue and recognition that the impact of that history – including anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism and structural inequality continue to shape institutions and life in Canada today. Black and Indigenous communities still face higher barriers in education, health care, housing, and the legal system. They also face disproportionate rates of incarceration, surveillance and racial profiling.  These are the results of systems that require urgent, sustained change. At the CRRF, we continue to play a leading role in evolving that systems change in Canada.  

Over the past few months, Canada’s federal Black Justice Strategy and Canada’s Action Plan on Combating Hate, which the CRRF helped shape, have been two important strides in that direction. The first federal Indigenous Justice Strategy is another milestone. In response to its recommendation for improved access to culturally responsive policing, our recent Finding Common Ground event brought together First Nations leaders and policy experts to discuss strategies, resources, and investments in First Nations-led policing and access to justice. 

At a community level, our National Anti-Racism Fund supports hundreds of initiatives across the country to uplift and strengthen the voices of Black and Indigenous communities on this land, such as the National Indigenous Education Symposium, and Sommet Dynastie earlier this year. Upcoming initiatives include Battle of the Arts NB – NB Afro Fest and the Toronto Pan Afrikan Film Festival.  

While there’s still a long way to go, our progress is rooted in generations of resistance, resilience, vision and collective effort. Emancipation Day is an opportunity to remember those achievements and take inspiration from the perseverance and innovation of those who came before us to continue to drive forward the work that remains to be done.