Human rights organisation Amnesty International Canada has berated Canada for its abstention from a historic United Nations vote on reparations for the harms caused by the transatlantic slave trade.

In a statement sent to Peoples Gazette on Wednesday, Amnesty International described Canada’s refusal to vote in support of the UN resolution, adding that “it is a missed opportunity to defend the rights of people of African descent.”

“Amnesty International Canada and the Black Canadians Civil Society Coalition (BCCSC) welcomed the adoption of a landmark resolution by the United Nations General Assembly formally declaring the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of African people over four centuries as the gravest crime against humanity,” the statement reads.

It added that “however, the organizations expressed disappointment that Canada was among the 52 states that abstained from the vote.”

A racial justice campaigner with Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, Melak Gebresilassie, said: “Canada’s abstention is deeply discouraging. This was not a neutral act. It was a choice to step back from a moment of accountability, to prioritise political comfort over moral clarity.”

“People of African descent deserve more than silence, hesitation, or symbolic gestures from their government,” Mr Gebresilassie said. “Canada must choose clarity over comfort, acknowledge the truth, commit to reparatory justice, and stand in meaningful solidarity with Black communities in the pursuit of dignity, healing, and justice.”

Hodan Ahmed, co-founder of the Black Canadians Civil Society Coalition, said: “We recognize this resolution for what it is: a powerful, necessary, and long-overdue acknowledgment of truth — one that survivors, descendants, scholars, and activists have demanded for centuries and should never have been in question.”

On March 25, Nigeria joined Ghana and 121 UN Member States to adopt a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity.

The resolution, spearheaded by Ghana, received 123 votes in favour, while three countries — Argentina, Israel and the United States — voted against, and 52 abstained.