Midland proclaims Emancipation Day

Whereas, in 2021, the federal government designated August 1 as Emancipation Day to honour the official end of slavery in Canada when the Slavery Abolition Act became law across the British empire on August 1, 1834, providing thousands of African people and their descendants with newfound freedom; and  

Whereas, while often overlooked, Canada has a significant historical connection to the institution of slavery, as enslaved Africans were brought to this land and subjected to cruel and dehumanizing conditions; and  

Whereas, slavery existed in Canada for more than two centuries, exploiting African and Indigenous individuals for unpaid labour, erasing their identities and violating their basic human rights; and  

Whereas, the suffering endured by African men, women and children during their forced transportation to North America on countless slave trading voyages with an estimated loss of two million lives, cannot be ignored; and  

Whereas, enslaved people in Canada faced considerable racism, discrimination, abuse and injustice that should not be forgotten; and  

Whereas, more than 30,000 enslaved African Americans seeking liberation settled as free persons in Canada, including some ancestors of Spruce Grove residents; and  

Whereas, the establishment of Emancipation Day on August 1 is an opportunity to acknowledge the impact of the slave trade on the lives, families and culture of people of African descent; and  

Whereas, the Town of Midland is committed to working to eliminate systemic racism, discrimination and prejudice that still exists today. 

Therefore, I, Bill Gordon, Mayor of the Town of Midland, do hereby proclaim the 1st day of August 2026 as “Emancipation Day” in the Town of Midland. I encourage citizens to reflect on the history of emancipation and celebrate the contributions and resilience of Black Canadians