Nova Scotia Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard is urging Canadians to recognize Aug. 1 as the day slavery was abolished in the British Empire — even if the federal government won’t.
Nova Scotia Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard is urging Canadians to recognize Aug. 1 as the day slavery was abolished in the British Empire — even if the federal government won’t.
Thomas Bernard has been pushing for years for the Canadian government to mark Emancipation Day each Aug. 1. It was recognized officially only in Ontario until Saturday, when Vancouver officially declared Aug. 1 Emancipation Day.
She introduced a private member’s bill in the Senate in 2018, but it’s since been dropped. But she’s still pushing for the recognition and reminding Canadians that even though slavery was abolished 186 years ago, it laid the groundwork for the anti-Black racism and marginalization that are rampant today.
“From coast to coast, we could pause and recognize Emancipation Day and use it as a time to remember, use it as a time to reflect and use it as a time to commit to action,” Thomas Bernard told CBC’s Information Morning this week.
She hosted a virtual panel discussion in Halifax last week about the importance of Emancipation Day.
Canadians not taught about history
On Aug. 1, 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, freeing about 800,000