University of Toronto plans to assess historic honorary degrees

The University of Toronto is considering how to handle historic honorary degrees given to figures with racist pasts.

In January, students at the university wrote an open letter to the president and vice president of the university. The letter called on the university to revoke the honorary degree granted to a man who played a pivotal role in creating residential schools.

Duncan Campbell Scott was granted an honorary degree exactly a century ago in 1922. He has been described as the “architect of residential schools” — a role that went largely downplayed in schools and text books until recently. In 2015, a plaque describing his role was added to his grave site.

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“One hundred years later, it is time to correct the record,” the students’ open letter reads.

The university senior administration is considering what to do with honorary degrees given to historical figures who no longer align with the university’s values.

“The senior leadership of the University is considering actively how best to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the honours that U of T has bestowed on historic figures, in the context of the current societal reappraisal of Canadian history,” a spokesperson for the University of Toronto told Daily Hive in an email.

They don’t just plan to look at honorary degrees either. The university plans to look at all of the ways they honour people.

The spokesperson said that the university is aware of the honorary degree given to Scott, and that their plans to assess historical honorary degrees was not a result of the petition.

“The senior leadership of the University have been considering how to approach honours to historic figures for some time,” the spokesperson said. “This announcement is not linked to the petition on Duncan Campbell Scott.”

They added that the University of Toronto administration will announce their plans “in the months ahead” when they’ve decided on a way to move forward.

“As a leading global public university, any assessment of the role of historic figures must be based on rigorous research and academic scholarship,” the spokesperson said. “We are committed to developing strong principles to inform University processes, so that these complex matters can be resolved appropriately and respectfully.”