Ryerson Plaque Petition
Whereas Egerton Ryerson has been frequently accused, falsely, of being the “architect” of the harmful residential school system, and
Whereas in 2018 the then Ryerson University president had a plaque erected next to the Ryerson statue on Gould St. stating that “As Chief Superintendent of Education, Ryerson’s recommendations were instrumental in the design and implementation of the Canadian Residential School System,” and
Whereas, there is no evidence to support such a claim, but Ryerson was a friend of Indigenous people, lived with the Mississauga of the Credit, learned their language, supported their land and fisheries claims, and was named a “brother” by an Ojibwe chief and given an Ojibwe name,
Be it resolved that the president of TMU be urged to have the plaque removed without delay, and to begin to restore Ryerson’s honour by circulating accurate information about his contributions to the free public school system and
Indigenous people.