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Toronto, Wednesday, February 27, 2008
We have come a long way.
For our triumph over slavery has made freedom the cornerstone of modern democracy.
Freedom to be who we want to be.
Freedom to vote.
Freedom to express our views.
Freedom to be full citizens.
Yet in this era of instant gratification, narcissism, and bling bling, it is so easy to forget that the liberties we take for granted flow from the struggle to end one of the greatest crimes humanity has ever known: the transatlantic slave trade.
Think about it.
Less than 200 years ago, the inhabitants of Upper and Lower Canada could legally possess African and Aboriginal slaves.
Slavery existed on Canadian soil.
Less than 200 years ago, thousands of women and men, African and Aboriginal, were subjected to abuse and torture by their owners.
Slavery existed on Canadian soil.
Less than 200 years ago, slaves had to risk their lives just to get a sip of the freedom we now take for granted.
Slavery existed on Canadian soil.
But it was on August 28, 1833, that this engine of violence, oppression, and dehumanization came to a screeching halt. The act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies received Royal Assent.
And it was thus, that the stroke of an imperial pen set the captives free.
Free from the shackles of bonded labour.
Free from the chains of greed and exploitation.
Free from the lashes of deprivation and abuse.
Free at last!
But let us not be deceived.
All this did not happen without a fight!
For the act for the Abolition of Slavery was the outcome of years and years of struggle, connecting free and enslaved, women and men, in an international network of abolitionists.
This network was deeply inspired by my country of birth, Haiti, which the French colonists baptized Saint-Domingue.
More than 200 years ago, in the heart of the tropical rainforest, my ancestors, African and Aboriginal runaway slaves, joined forces with others from Jamaica, Trinidad, the Dominican Republic, Saint-Kitts and Nevis, and the Antilles françaises, sparking widespread rebellion on the sugar plantations.
Despite only possessing very rudimentary weapons, they managed to create a powerful army that was animated by an unyielding resolve to put an end to more than three centuries of slavery. And they succeeded.
They fearlessly defeated the European colonists, establishing in 1804 the first independent Black republic in the world.
And do you know what their first major gesture was? It was to honour the first inhabitants of the island by giving back the indigenous name to the land.
No more Hispaniola.
No more Saint-Domingue.
Now it was Haiti—a word that means “land of many mountains,” in the language of the first nations of the island, the Arawak, a people who were decimated by conquest, diseases and slavery.
The courage and perseverance of the people of Haiti encouraged many others, on both sides of the Atlantic, to try to dismantle the transatlantic slave trade.
We must remember that the abolitionists were really part of a universal movement that linked the global North and the global South.
A movement that placed the revolutionary principles of “liberty, equality and fraternity” at the core of what it meant to fight for emancipation.
It also resonated in Canada. As Canada played a groundbreaking role in this regard.
In Lower Canada, legislators and ordinary citizens sought the abolition of slavery.
In Upper Canada, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe enacted the Anti-Slavery Act in 1793. This law emancipated slaves aged 25 and older and banned the slave trade on its territory—a first in the British Empire.
As a result, a covert network of abolitionists emerged, providing thousands of runaway American slaves with a safe haven in Canada.
The Underground Railroad stands as an eloquent testimony to the noble efforts countless women and men deployed to extend freedom to all.
Significantly, the extraordinary ability of Black, White and Aboriginal abolitionists to work together proved essential in helping to unravel the ideas that underpinned the transatlantic slave trade.
For slavery did not stand on its own.
It was supported by a sinister ideology of greed and hatred that found anyone with a trace of African blood inferior, guilty of sin and condemned to an eternal life of servitude, hard labour and ostracism.
Even today, this ideology manages to rear its ugly head, contributing to situations that are simply unacceptable in our society.
Discrimination in employment.
Discrimination in housing.
Racial profiling.
Racist imagery.
We cannot tolerate these disparities.
But, we should draw comfort from the fact that the new generation of Canadians are overwhelmingly saying no to racism and other forms of discrimination.
Last year, I decided to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the end of the Transatlantic Slave Trade by holding a youth dialogue at my official residence, Rideau Hall.
Joined by esteemed scholars such as Lawrence Hill, Joanne Saint-Lewis, Denyse Beaugrand-Champagne, and Aboriginal leader Roméo Saganash, we pursued a dynamic discussion with 200 students about the significance of abolition and the importance of eliminating racial discrimination.
Students from all backgrounds spoke about their vision for our country.
They affirmed that greater efforts should be made to include Black history in school curricula across the country.
They called on all Canadians to learn more about the history and legacy of slavery in Canada.
And they pledged to work harder to eliminate racism.
This is very encouraging because we cannot sustain a free and democratic society, if we do not remember the past and commit to building a brighter future.
Just look at someone like Elise Harding-Davis who we are celebrating today. She is living proof that discrimination and adversity are only obstacles to be overcome.
Elise comes from an African Canadian family of freedom fighters, as her ancestors once decided to escape slavery.
And she committed to continuing this legacy by becoming a curator of the North American Black Historical Museum in Amherstburg. Elise, you are an inspiration to us all.
Black history has a universal significance. Because it teaches us that we all are the agents of history.
That we all have the power to make a change.
And that we should never let anyone take our spark away.
If anything, our growing complacency should remind us that we must remain vigilant.
Why?
Because the battle is not over.
In addition to racism and racial discrimination, slavery, slavery-like practices and human trafficking have managed to slither their way back into our societies.
Whether it is in the fear gripping a teenaged girl standing on the street corner.
In the threats that confine a domestic-worker to an oppressive home.
Or in the dubious conditions under which some of our goods are made.
The spectre of greed and exploitation is never too far.
All around the world, contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking are wreaking havoc.
Tearing families apart.
Destroying lives, villages and communities.
Leaving women and children at the mercy of ruthless predators.
Canadians and the rest of the world cannot and should not be indifferent.
We have fought too hard to see our hard-earned achievements slip away.
Once again, the time has come for us all to follow the North Star and say no to injustice in all its forms.
No to exclusion.
No to racism.
And say yes to freedom, equality, justice, togetherness and solidarity.
Dear friends, we must keep the spirit alive, not only during Black History Month.
Because we still have some way to go.
Thank you.