Canada Must Explain Its UN Abstention on Slavery Resolution
- 6 days ago
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April 14, 2026 GENEVA — At the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in Geneva, Nicholas Marcus Thompson called on Canada to explain its abstention at the United Nations on a resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
This comes as Canada has publicly acknowledged systemic anti-Black racism and described Black history as a history of injustice, including statements made during Black History Month by Mark Carney.
The resolution addressed the transatlantic slave trade, a system that continues to shape outcomes today.
Canada missed an opportunity to begin repairing the harm it has contributed to against Black people, Thompson said.
Thompson noted that Canada can still take concrete action.
He pointed to the modernization of the Employment Equity Act, including the recognition of Black workers as an employment equity group.
He emphasized that this reform is a key pillar of the renewed international focus on the rights of people of African descent.
He called on the Government of Canada to move forward with these reforms in the next federal budget.
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