As land acknowledgements become increasingly common across Canada, a new movement is gaining momentum to add a second formal recognition at public gatherings: an acknowledgement of slavery and African ancestry.
Remembrance Day ceremony sparks debate
This emerging trend was visible during Toronto's official Remembrance Day ceremony in November 2025. Following the traditional land acknowledgement recognizing Indigenous territories, attendees were asked to acknowledge those who were brought here involuntarily; particularly those brought to these lands as a result of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery.
The dual acknowledgement, shared on social media by journalist Joe Warmington, has ignited discussions about the appropriateness of adding slavery recognitions to public events across the country.
Historical context and numbers
While Toronto确实 sits on traditional Indigenous lands, the historical accuracy of the slavery acknowledgement has become a point of contention among historians and commentators.
According to a recent report from the Aristotle Foundation, African slavery was never a defining feature of Canadian society, especially when compared to the United States. Historical research indicates that approximately 7,000 African slaves were owned in the French and English colonies that would eventually form Canada over a 200-year period.
This figure stands in stark contrast to the approximately 10 million enslaved people in the United States during the same era. Furthermore, most contemporary Black Canadians trace their lineage through Caribbean immigration or freed U.S. slaves who settled in Canada rather than through generations of slavery within Canada's borders.
Canada's early stance against slavery
Canada established itself as a pioneer in the abolition movement with the 1793 Act Against Slavery passed by the colonial legislature of Upper Canada. This landmark legislation represented the British Empire's first legislative step toward ultimately banning slavery throughout its territories in 1834.
This abolition occurred 33 years before Canadian Confederation, positioning Canada as one of the earliest jurisdictions in the world to take formal action against human bondage.
The push for slavery acknowledgements comes at a time when many institutions are examining how to appropriately recognize historical injustices while maintaining factual accuracy about Canada's specific historical context.
