Trudeau apologizes for Canada’s anti-Black racism during World War I
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a public apology on Saturday to the nation’s Black citizens for the racism Black Canadians were subjected to during the first World War.
At a ceremony in Nova Scotia, Trudeau and Canadian officials apologized for systemic racism Black members of No. 2 Construction Battalion experienced throughout the first World War.
In 1914, Black men in Canada who tried to volunteer to fight were rejected because they weren’t considered worthy since they were not White. A segregated unit was established two years later but most of the soldiers never engaged in battle because they were told they were not wanted.
In a statement posted Saturday, the prime minister said:
“For the blatant anti-Black hate and systemic racism that denied these men dignity in l...