REMOVE THE PLAQUE THAT UNJUSTLY ACCUSES RYERSON OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

In 2018, Ryerson University erected a plaque claiming that Egerton Ryerson was “instrumental in the design and implementation of the Indian Residential School system”. Were he alive, this would be a slanderous statement, but legally one cannot slander the dead.

In reality, Egerton Ryerson was a giant in the field of public education in Ontario in the mid-19th century. At a time when most schools were run by local communities, with untrained teachers, textbooks that were whatever the teacher could find, and poor attendance, Ryerson, as Superintendent of Education brought in teacher training, standardized Canadian textbooks and curriculum, free education based on taxation and, ultimately, mandatory education to age 12. He also created a museum in which the public could view copies of great European art, and pressed for free libraries, so that everyone had access to information about the world. His educational ideas were so revolutionary that they were later copied in other parts of Canada.

After the plaque went up, the university created a task force to examine Egerton Ryerson’s legacy. It did not find that Ryerson was an architect of residential schools but did agree that he was a friend to Indigenous peoples. Similarly, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not claim that Ryerson was connected to Residential Schools. Many people have come to see Egerton Ryerson in the wording on the plaque, and in the resulting destruction of his statue (see photo above), even though very clear evidence to the contrary exists, and no evidence to prove the false claim has been found. Multiple experts in the field of Canadian history, including the author of this  petition, have examined the facts, and are in agreement that there is no basis for the claim made on the plaque.  It is time that the plaque was removed, as it has ruined the reputation of a great Canadian.