The
      True
      ~
     
     
      North
     
    

    
     
      Strong
     
    

    
     
      and
      Free
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Kike
      Roach
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MONTREAL
      (CUP)--
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Qh
      righteous
      Father,
      will
     
     
      thou
      not
      pity
      me,
     
    

    
     
      And
      aid
      me
      on
      to
      Canada,
     
     
      where
      all
      the
      slaves
      are
      free”
     
     
      --popular
      freedom
      song
     
    
   
   
    
     
      escaping
      the
      brutal
      system
      of
      slavery
      in
     
    

    
     
      the
      Southern
      United
      States.
      Or
      so
      we
     
     
      thought.
      The
      reality
      however
      is
      that
      the
      ‘“pecu-
     
     
      liar
      institution’’
      made
      itself
      quite
      at
      home
      here
     
     
      too.
     
    

    
     
      Though
      the
      history
      of
      slavery
      in
      this
      country
     
     
      has
      been
      sublimated
      or
      completely
      ignored,
     
     
      slavery
      as
      an
      institution
      existed,
      was
      legally
     
     
      sanctioned
      and
      upheld
      for
      170
      years.
      It
      was
     
     
      practised
      mainly
      in
      Ontario,
      Quebec,
      New
     
     
      Brunswick
      and
      Nova
      Scotia.
     
    

    
     
      In
      1628
      in
      New
      France
      (Quebec),
      a
      young
     
     
      boy
      from
      Madagascar,
      named
      Olivier
      LeJube,
     
     
      became
      the
      first
      African
      slave
      of
      record
      to
      be
     
     
      purchased
      in
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      Blacks
      were
      not
      the
      first
      slaves
     
     
      here.
      By
      the
      early
      1500s
      Portuguese
      and
      French
     
     
      explorers
      are
      known
      to
      have
      captured
      and
      en-
     
     
      slaved
      some
      of
      the
      Amerindians
      they
      came
      in
     
     
      contact
      with.
      French
      colonists
      who
      settled
      in
     
     
      Acadia
      and
      New
      France
      continued
      this
      practice
     
    
   
   
    
     
      C
      anada:
      a
      welcoming
      haven
      for
      fugitives
     
    
   
   
    
     
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ahundred
      years
      later.
      Amerindian
      slaves,
      called
     
     
      ‘‘panis’’,
      often
      significantly
      outnumbered
      the
     
     
      Black
      slave
      population.
     
    

    
     
      Canadian
      style
      slavery
      varied
      from
      its
      South-
     
     
      ern
      cousin
      in
      that
      the
      goals
      and
      economic
      inter-
     
     
      ests
      of
      the
      French
      and
      British
      here
      differed
      from
     
     
      those
      of
      the
      owners
      of
      the
      vast
      cotton
      and
      sugar
     
     
      plantations.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      beginning,
      Imperial
     
     
      interests
      in
      Canada
      lay
      prima-
     
     
      rily
      in
      expanding
      the
      fur
      trade
     
     
      and
      the
      fishing
      industry.
      The
     
     
      French
      and
      British
      relied
      heav-
     
     
      ily
      on
      Native
      people’s
      skilled
     
     
      labour
      in
      the
      trapping
      and
      hunt-
     
     
      ing
      of
      fur
      bearing
      animals.
      In
     
     
      1780,
      between
      300-400
      Black
     
     
      slaves
      were
      imported
      from
      the
     
     
      colony
      of
      Bermuda
      to
      work
      on
     
     
      the
      fishing
      fleets
      of
      the
      Grand
     
     
      Banks
      of
      Newfoundland.
     
    

    
     
      As
      European
      interests
     
     
      shifted,
      strategies
      for
      exploit-
     
     
      ing
      Canada’s
      natural
      resources
     
     
      and
      establishing
      more
      perma-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      see
      May
      1,
      1689,
      the
      day
      of
      the
      decree,
      as
      the
     
     
      official
      birthday
      of
      slavery
      in
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      The
      number
      of
      Black
      slaves
      in
      Canada
      re-
     
     
      mained
      small
      but
      increased
      considerably
      be-
     
     
      tween
      1783
      and
      1784.
      White
      slave-owning
      Loy-
     
     
      alists,
      emigrating
      to
      Canada
      after
      the
      American
     
     
      War
      of
      Independence,
      brought
      a
      total
      of
      2000
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Must
      over
      IZOO
     
     
      of
      these
      sllaves
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \WEGIPG
     
    
   
   
    
     
      distreilbunted|
      stm
     
     
      Nova
      Scotia,
     
    

    
     
      New
      JBrumswielk
     
     
      andl
      JPrimee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nent
      domination
      over
      the
      re-
      ©
      ol
      dhuvaredl
      Iisllamdle”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      gion
      developed.
      Slaves
      were
     
     
      imported
      gradually
      in
      keeping
      with
      the
      pace
      of
     
     
      these
      newly
      emerging
      colonies.
     
    

    
     
      In
      1689,
      the
      first
      major
      importation
      of
      Afri-
     
     
      cans
      occurred
      when
      King
      Louis
      XIV
      of
      France
     
     
      gave
      permission
      to
      his
      subjects
      to
      bring
      slaves
     
     
      into
      New
      France
      as
      agricultural
      workers.
      Many
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Black
      slaves
      with
      them.
      Just
      over
      1200
      of
      these
     
     
      slaves
      were
      distributed
      in
      Nova
      Scotia,
      New
     
     
      Brunswick
      and
      Prince
      Edward
      Island.
     
    

    
     
      At
      the
      time
      of
      the
      Loyalist
      immigration
      the
     
     
      slave
      population
      in
      Upper
      Canada
      (Ontario)
     
     
      was
      estimated
      to
      be
      500
      persons
      and
      just
      over