Canada Abstention on Slavery Vote Sparks CBTU Apology Push

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-Canada launched a national campaign Wednesday demanding a federal apology for Canada's role in the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans, after the country abstained from a United Nations resolution that declared the practice a crime against humanity.

The UN General Assembly passed the resolution on March 25. 123 countries voted yes. Canada abstained and has not explained why, the group said.

CBTU-Canada called the abstention part of a pattern. The government has refused to recognize or apologize for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans despite repeated House of Commons petitions, the coalition said in a statement.

For 1.5 million Black Canadians, that silence is not neutral, the group said. It is a statement.

The campaign launched ahead of Emancipation Day on August 1st. CBTU-Canada is calling on the federal government to issue a formal apology and acknowledge Canada's historical role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Canada must not sit on the sidelines of history, the coalition said. Again.

The group is backed by the Ontario Federation of Labour, whose vice president representing Black and racialized workers joined the call.

CBTU-Canada said it will escalate the campaign through public events and parliamentary lobbying in the months ahead.