Carney says Canada is a voice for justice on slave trade

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Canada is a voice “for justice” on the transatlantic slave trade, as leaders at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda pressed the United Kingdom on an apology and reparations, The Canadian Press reported.

Days before the summit opened, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government would consider formally apologizing for the first time for Britain’s role in the slave trade, but said reparations were not on the table. King Charles called the trade a “shameful chapter of history” in his speech but did not apologize.

Asked by reporters whether Canada backs an apology and reparations, Carney said Ottawa wants to help build consensus among members. He said Burnham addressed the issue in the room and that the final communiqué would reflect that consensus and a process to move forward.

The communiqué welcomed Britain’s pledge to take part in a “structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue” with affected parties on the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms. Caribbean countries have proposed a 10-point reparations plan. Protesters demanding reparations gathered outside the meeting, and Carney and Burnham walked past them on the way to the opening ceremony.

The Canadian link was a theme of Carney’s other remarks. Speaking at a working breakfast with Caribbean leaders, he said more than a million people in Canada trace their roots to the region and that trade of about $4 billion a year “scratches the surface” of what is possible.

Carney’s office said he announced more than $70 million in new investments in Commonwealth countries, including the Caribbean, for infrastructure, emergency preparedness, forest restoration and fast delivery of emergency relief. He also met Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Guyana President Mohamed Irfan Ali and the leaders of Australia and Ghana.

Carney’s remarks to a roundtable on financing for development were closed to media, and the Prime Minister’s Office declined to provide a copy. Neither the King’s speech nor Carney’s events with the King were open to Canadian reporters.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary group of 56 countries, most with ties to the former British Empire, representing 2.7 billion people. This was the first leaders’ meeting since Carney took office in March 2025. We reported earlier that Carney was travelling to Antigua to meet King Charles and Commonwealth leaders, and that he planned to attend his first Commonwealth summit. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was also scheduled to attend the Commonwealth meeting.

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