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The first recorded slave purchase occurred in New France in the region known today as Quebec; the year was 1628. The purchase was of a young boy from Madagascar, who was given the name Olivier Le Jeune. By the early 1700s, Africans began arriving in greater numbers to New France, mainly as slaves of the French aristocracy. When the British took over in 1759, there were more than 1,000 slaves living in Quebec. Of course the British aristocracy had African slaves also. Just after the American Revolution ended in 1783, British Loyalists brought over 2,000 African slaves to British Canada. Approximately 1,200 of the African slaves were taken to Nova ScotiaNova Scotia ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest City Halifax Area Total % fresh water 12th largest(9th lgst prov. 55 284 km² 3. 5% Population Total (2001) Density Ranked, 300 to Quebec ( Lower CanadaLower Canada was a British colony in North America, at the downstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in the southern portion of the modern-day province of Quebec. It was one of the two colonies of the Canadas. The colony was created by the Constitutional) and 500 to OntarioOntario ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal she began, loyal she remains Capital Toronto Largest City Toronto Area Total % fresh water 4th largest(2nd lgst prov. 1 076 395 km² 14. 7% Population Total (2001) Density Rank ( Upper CanadaUpper Canada is an early name for the land at the upstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in early North America the territory south of Lake Nipissing and north of the St. Lawrence River and Lakes Ontario and Erie plus the eastern shoreline of Georgian B). A few others were taken to Prince Edward IslandThis article is about a Canadian province. For the South African sub- antarctic islands, see Prince Edward Islands Prince Edward Island ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Parva Sub Ingenti (The small under the protection of the great Capital Charlottetown A, Cape Breton IslandCape Breton Island (French: le du Cap-Breton Irish/Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn Mi'kmaq: U'namakika is a large island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, although physically separated from, and NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Quaerite Primum Regnum Dei (Seek ye first the kingdom of God Capital St. John's Largest City St. John's Provincial Anthem Ode to Newfoundland Area Total % fresh water 10th largest(7th lgst prov..
Historian Marcel Trudel has recorded 4092 slaves throughout Canadian history, of which 2692 were aboriginal people, owned mostly by the FrenchThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., and 1400 Blacks owned mostly by the British, together owned by approximately 1400 masters.
The region of Montreal dominated with 2077 slaves, compared to 1059 for Quebec City overall and 114 for Trois-Rivières. Several marriages took place between French colonists and slaves: 31 unions with aboriginal slaves and 8 with Black slaves.
In 1793, under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, a bill had been passed by the Legislature of Upper Canada making it illegal to bring a person into the colony to be enslaved. Slavery formally ended in the two Canadas in 1834 after the British Parliament passed an act abolishing the institution throughout the Empire.