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At Commonwealth, Carney says Canada is a voice 'for justice' on slave trade

  • Anja Karadeglija

  • Canadian Press

  • November 3, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, gives opening remarks during a working breakfast with Caribbean leaders before the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, on Tuesday Nov. 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

ST JOHN'S -- Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is a voice "for justice" as the United Kingdom considers offering a formal apology for the transatlantic slave trade.

Carney is in the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders, where activists have called for reparations for the slave trade.

When asked whether Canada is advocating for its Caribbean peers, he said Ottawa is always speaking up for justice and wants to play a role in building consensus.

At the summit, King Charles III called the transatlantic slave trade a "shameful chapter of history" but did not issue an apology.

Earlier, Carney told Commonwealth leaders that Canada and the Caribbean have barely begun to realize what's possible in their trading relationship.

The trip is the latest in a flurry of international trips Carney has been making since he became prime minister last year -- part of an ongoing attempt to pivot Canada away from dependence on the United States.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026.