Emancipation
2 min read · August 2, 2024
New Power Labs
In 2021, Canada's House of Commons voted unanimously to officially designate August 1st as Emancipation Day. It signifies the moment in 1834 when slavery was officially abolished across British territories, as mandated by the 1833 legislation.
This day is an opportunity to reflect on the past and celebrate Black leadership while recognizing that emancipation does not mean equity.
In reference to Black communities in Canada facing significant economic disadvantages, Al Ramsay, Vice President and Head of the 2SLGBTQ+ Black Customer Segments TD Bank Group, stated: “What communities have experienced since abolition show that emancipation was not the end of anti-Black sentiment, but rather an evolution of it.”
A recent census-based study by Rupa Banerjee, Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey, Jeffrey G. Reitz, and colleagues, ‘Is the Canadian dream broken?’, outlines that Black Canadians born in the late 1980s and early 1990s, despite higher levels of postsecondary education, faced median earnings that were 33% below those of third-and-higher generation White Canadians.
The financial inequality faced by Black Canadians has worsened over decades. These negative trends have no parallel in other communities of colour in Canada.
We have an opportunity to achieve real emancipation by addressing the decline in Black Canadians' financial stability and access to economic opportunities. One of the many levers for change is outlined in the federal Employment Equity Act Review Task Force recommendations. These include establishing Black workers as a distinct employment equity group, appointing a Black Equity Commission to develop and coordinate measures, and creating an external reporting mechanism for discrimination complaints.
Meaningful investments in education, job skills training, access to capital and community development are critical to reversing these negative trends and upholding the potential of multiculturalism in Canada.
Narinder
New Power Labs
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