A renowned Afro-Canadian Museum dedicated to preserving the history of slavery in pre-Confederation Québec has come under scrutiny for violating migrant labour regulations, according to Blacklock's Reporter. Despite repeated attempts for comment, management remained silent on the matter."The pay or working conditions didn’t match or were not better than what was listed on the offer of employment," stated the Department of Immigration in a notice pertaining to enforcement under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The Montréal-based museum incurred a fine of $1,750 for breaching Immigration And Refugee Protection Regulations.Established in 2022, the Afro-Canadian Museum stands as "one of the first solely African-centric museums in Québec that focuses on highlighting African-Canadian history and African cultures," as highlighted by the periodical Black Voice. "Canadian history is whitewashed, minimized and even erases the violence that has occurred to people of colour," asserted Black Voice. "For example, many believe slavery did not exist in Canada."The immigration department has maintained a public record of employers fined under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program since a 2017 audit exposed lapses in enforcement. In 2022 alone, fines reached a record $1.54 million following 2,100 inspections, according to the most recent available data.Acknowledging more than 5,000 tips annually alleging employer misconduct, the department did not specify if the penalty imposed on the Afro-Canadian Museum stemmed from a formal complaint.Previously lauded by the CBC in a 2023 profile as a space "for everyone to learn about black culture," the museum's dedication to promoting diversity in historical commemorations aligns with government initiatives."I think this is about all Canadians understanding that black history is Canadian history," emphasized Equality Minister Marci Ien during a 2023 press briefing. "What does that mean? There are some things that happened in this country that not everybody knows about."Addressing the profound impact of historical injustices, Ien stressed, "Here’s what I want to talk about, the mental and psychological damage, the inter-generational damage. It doesn’t matter who was in charge and what was a country."Although no Canadian Parliament legalized slavery, and no Father of Confederation was a slaveholder, a 2004 Statistics Canada study titled Blacks In Canada: A Long History highlighted the existence of black slavery in Eastern Canada from 1628 until the early 1800s. The study also noted that the majority of Canada's black community immigrated after 1971, with the population remaining below 1% until 1981.
