Québec, Québec, Canada (Quebec City)
1733 - May 29 - The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City.

On May 29, 1733, a significant legal decision in Quebec City confirmed that Canadians in New France had the right to retain Indigenous slaves. This ruling came at a time when the practice of slavery of Indigenous peoples (referred to as “Panis”) was relatively common in the colony, particularly among French settlers, military officers, and missionaries, though it was never on the same scale as African slavery in the Caribbean or southern North America.

The decision reinforced the legal and social acceptance of slavery in New France, allowing owners to keep Indigenous slaves they had acquired through trade or capture, and cementing their status under colonial law. Indigenous slaves were often employed in domestic service, agriculture, or skilled labor, contributing to the household economies of French colonists.

While the ruling ensured continuity of this practice, it also reflects the complex and often harsh realities of colonial life, where Indigenous peoples could be forcibly integrated into European social and economic systems. The 1733 decision illustrates how New France’s legal framework accommodated slavery, blending European legal traditions with the practical realities of life on the frontier, and highlights a lesser-known aspect of Canadian history before British conquest.

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May 29, 1733

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