Canada’s 200 Years of Slavery

Canada’s 200 Years of Slavery

From Canada is Boring by Jesse Harley, Rhys Waters

February 23, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 504

About this episode

The episode explores Canada's overlooked history of slavery over 200 years, challenging the narrative of Canada as a safe haven.

In this unexpectedly heavy episode of Canada Is Boring, Rhys and Jesse dig into a part of Canadian history many people never hear about: Canada’s 200‑year relationship with slavery. While many Canadians grow up hearing about the Underground Railroad and Canada as a safe haven, Rhys reveals a much darker past—from New France-era slavery to British rule, and the brutal legal framework that allowed slavery to exist in Canada. Rhys and Jesse take a hard left turn from jokes into one of the darkest and least‑discussed parts of Canadian history: slavery in Canada. From New France’s Code Noir to household slaves as status symbols, from Marie‑Joseph Angélique and Chloe Cooley to the slow legal death of slavery by the 1820s, this episode challenges the myth of Canada as the purely “good guy” of North American history. In the STD Zone, Jesse debriefs his recent trip to Cuba—tourism, cash chaos, and the everyday realities behind the resorts. For premium content, socials, merch, to leave a voicemail or message us go to canadaisboring.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Rhys Waters, Jesse Harley

Topics covered

  • Canadian history
  • slavery
  • cultural myths
  • historical narratives
  • societal issues

Keywords

  • Canada
  • slavery
  • history
  • Underground Railroad
  • Code Noir
  • New France
  • British rule
  • cultural myths

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Canada Is Boring

Books & works: Code Noir

Places: Canada

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