Emancipation Day, marked each August 1, celebrates the anniversary of legislation that ended slavery in the British Empire. At one time, the Emancipation Day celebrations in St. Catharines were among the largest in Canada, with thousands descending on Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie to attend the "The Big Picnic".

 

I was proud today to vote in favour of a motion to recognize August 1 as Emancipation Day in Canada. The motion passed unanimously.