City of Toronto: City Proclamations


		City of Toronto Proclamation

"Emancipation Day"
August 1, 2004

WHEREAS:	under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, Toronto was founded with a commitment to the abolition of slavery through the passage of an Act on July 9, 1793.
	Slavery was abolished by the British Parliament across the British Empire as of August 1, 1834, by the enactment of legislation on August 28, 1833, through the efforts of abolitionists including Lieutenant Governor Simcoe of Upper Canada.
	The Government of Ontario in 1998 and the Government of Canada in 1999 enacted bills to proclaim August 1 as Emancipation Day, to recognize the struggle for human rights and the heritage and contributions being made to Canada by Black communities, including those who arrived by the Underground Railroad.
	The people of Toronto have been in the forefront of efforts to protect human rights and ensure that everyone has the right to live in conditions of dignity, respect, freedom and peace.
NOW,
THEREFORE:	I, Mayor David Miller, on behalf of Toronto City Council, do hereby proclaim August 1, 2004 as "Emancipation Day" in the City of Toronto.

[Signed Mayor David Miller]