Latest news with #EgertonRyerson
National Post
a day ago
- General
- National Post
Patrice Dutil: Ryerson's toppled statue should be restored at Queen's Park
Friday marked the fourth anniversary of the sacking of the Egerton Ryerson monument that stood at the heart of Ryerson University in downtown Toronto. The impressive statue was pulled down, its head was hacked off and thrown into Lake Ontario. The head later showed up on a pike in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River near Caledonia, Ont. Article content The desecration of the statue was in reaction to the declaration made in Kamloops, B.C., that human remains were found on the site of a local residential school. No bodies have since been found there, despite millions spent by the federal government. Article content Article content The statue, an artistically significant achievement by the illustrious Hamilton MacCarthy, an immigrant from Great Britain, had long been a significant part of the streetscape. For 134 years, it stood high above the heads of students, faculty and staff on a plinth of stone and marble. Article content Article content It had been erected as a result of a fundraising drive that had started in 1882, immediately after Ryerson's death, to honour the founder of a great achievement: the Toronto Normal School. Article content Following the riot, the university's president announced that the statue would not be restored. But it should be. All the pieces should be returned to the Government of Ontario, which should restore it and re-erect the statue in its rightful place at Queen's Park. Article content Egerton Ryerson was not simply the creator of a teacher's school. Born in Charlotteville, Upper Canada, in 1803, Ryerson drew attention as a journalist and as a preacher. Raised in an Anglican household, he converted to Methodism in his teenage years but grew into a passionate humanist who was devoted to building bridges across all of Upper Canada's divides. Article content Article content He served as a missionary to the Mississauga of the Credit, a largely Christian community, and encouraged the work of translating the bible into Ojibwe, a language he learned to speak (he also spoke a more than passable Latin). He helped launch a newspaper, the Christian Guardian, and a publishing house, and became a loud voice protesting the domination of the Anglican Church in Upper Canada. Article content Article content When the Methodists decided to create their own university, Victoria College, they called on Ryerson to lead it. It eventually became part of the University of Toronto. When the government of the Province of Canada wanted to make education a priority, it named Ryerson chief superintendent of education.
National Post
28-05-2025
- General
- National Post
FIRST READING: Restored John A. Macdonald statue could be beginning of the end for history purge
Article content Ryerson University renamed itself as Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022, over connections to the Indian Residential School system. Article content Although Egerton Ryerson was long dead before the establishment of the first Indian residential school, he had advocated a program of Indigenous children being taught 'industry and sobriety' at boarding schools located far from their home communities. Article content Indian residential schools have also largely characterized the push to remove symbols of Sir John A. Macdonald. Although Macdonald was the singular figure who stitched together Canada's current form, his record on Indigenous affairs was controversial even in his own time. Article content The renaming trend has slowed to a trickle of late, particularly amidst a wave off flag-waving patriotism sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war against Canada, and repeated annexation threats. An ongoing Toronto District School Board renaming push remains one of the only such programs underway at a governmental level. Article content But the announced unboxing of Ontario Legislative Assembly's Macdonald statue represents one of the first times that a government will be reversing a sanction imposed against a Canadian historical symbol over the past five years. Article content It occurs amid a recent debate in Wilmot, Ont., to similarly restore a Macdonald statue that was placed into storage after being splashed with red paint in 2020. Beginning last year, the community began consultations on a possible re-installation of the statue, which depicts Macdonald holding two chairs, a symbol of his bringing together of rival camps in the negotiations that created Canada. Article content Tuesday's speech from the throne, read by King Charles III, is actually one of the few ways to divine what the Carney government intends to do, since they've dispensed with the usual indicators such as a budget or specific mandate letters. Article content It may also be notable for what it didn't contain: Article content Woke stuff. As noted by National Post's John Ivison, the speech is entirely free of the culture war beats that defined so much of the Trudeau era. As recently as 2021, the Speech from the Throne was laden with lines like 'fighting systemic racism, sexism, discrimination, misconduct and abuse, including in our core institutions will remain a priority.' Any mention whatsoever of oil and gas. Or pipelines, for that matter. All it does is repeat a Liberal campaign pledge to make Canada the 'world's leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy.' Article content Article content Article content It was only six months ago that the Liberal Party was polling at historic lows due in large part to the refusal of then prime minister Justin Trudeau to resign. As was frequently noted at the time, the Liberals could have easily swapped out their unpopular leader much earlier if only they'd bothered to sign on to the Reform Act, a piece of legislation that gives the caucus enhanced powers to trigger a leadership review. With the start of a new Parliament, the Liberals had a fresh opportunity to subscribe to the terms of the Reform Act and avoid any future debacles with leaders who refuse to leave. They decided 'no.' A source told National Post that a 'large majority' Liberal MPs voted against holding Prime Minister Mark Carney to the terms of the Reform Act. Article content Article content Article content
