Emancipation Sunday is celebrated on the last Sunday in July in the Anglican Church of Canada (July 26 in 2026), as formally designated by the General Synod in June 2025. Emancipation Sunday commemorates the coming into effect of the Slavery Abolition Act on August 1, 1834—Emancipation Day—freeing approximately 800,000 enslaved people in British colonies, including Canada.
For more than 180 years, Black communities across Canada have celebrated Emancipation Day with church services, parades, outdoor festivities, protests, speeches, entertainment and more, taking the opportunity for reflection on the struggle for freedom and justice, past and present. By designating an Emancipation Sunday, the General Synod invites Anglicans in Canada to join in that celebration and to support initiatives that address anti-Black racism within our ecclesial structures and in society at large.
More information and liturgical resources are available from the Anglican Church of Canada site.