Maybe before these Indigenous protestors come to Ryerson to vandalize and destroy property, they should deal with their own history. They can start by tearing down statues of their own people, like Mohawk Chief Thayendanegea (aka Joseph Brant), who has a reserve, a county, and town named after him just down the 401 from here? He has several statues erected honouring him, including one on Ottawa, and one in Brantford.

most of it (slavery in pre-Canada ) was slavery of native peoples, mainly by other native peoples.]

Natives had been in the black slave trade since the mid-17th century.

In Canada, and locally, one of the foremost native slave traders and slave owners was the renowned Joseph Brant, Chief of Tyendinaga Mohawk. His first venture into the field was purchasing a seven year old orphan girl daughter of freed slaves, who had been kidnapped by whites in upper New York State. Rather than return the girl to her parents, Brant put her to work.

Maybe these protestors should look to their own historical failings first, and rename their places and institutions, before demanding others do it.

Maybe we should tear down Thayendanegea’s statue in Ottawa or Brantford? I’m sure the police would sit idly by if a white person did that, just like they sat idly by today at Ryerson, right? Right?