Hugh Burnett (July 14, 1918 – September 29, 1991) was an African-Canadian carpenter and civil rights leader.
A descendant of slaves, Hugh Burnett was a carpenter in the rural Canadian town of Dresden, Ontario.
At the time, Black people in Dresden and other Ontario towns were regularly refused service in restaurants, barber shops and stores.
Following the incident, he wrote to the federal Minister of Justice, Louis St. Laurent, to say that there was no law against racial discrimination in Canada.
[2] On July 31, 2010, the Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a plaque commemorating the contributions of Hugh Burnett and the National Unity Association to the civil rights movement in Canada.
The Dresden plaque reads: Hugh Burnett and the National Unity Association: Between 1948 and 1956, the National Unity Association (NUA) of Chatham, Dresden and North Buxton, under the leadership of Hugh R. Burnett, waged a campaign for racial equality and social justice.