De-Recognition of Duncan Campbell Scott

Purpose and Acknowledgement

The University of Toronto has undertaken the de-recognition of Duncan Campbell Scott in acknowledgement of his role in advancing policies that caused lasting harm to Indigenous Peoples, including the residential school system. This decision reflects an evolving understanding of the University’s own history and responsibilities, and forms part of a broader commitment to truth, learning, and institutional accountability.

To ensure that de-recognition is more than a symbolic act, the University established the Working Group on Educational Initiatives related to the de-recognition of Duncan Campbell Scott. The Working Group is tasked with advancing educational and scholarly initiatives that promote dialogue, reflection, and learning across the University community, and that acknowledge both historical harm and the University’s own role in systems of recognition.

De-recognition is not an act of erasure. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of historical harm and of the University’s complicity in honouring individuals whose actions are fundamentally at odds with the institution’s values. It is also a commitment to ensuring that this recognition leads to meaningful learning and reflection.

For official information on the de-recognition process, please see the Governing Council’s page on the de-recognition of honorary degrees.

About This Work

The educational initiatives described on this page are being developed through the Working Group on Educational Initiatives related to the de-recognition of Duncan Campbell Scott, a cross-university body established by the Provost and reporting to the Office of the Vice-President and Provost.

Consistent with its terms of reference, the Working Group is tasked with planning and advancing educational activities that:

  • promote dialogue, reflection, and learning following de-recognition;
  • acknowledge the University’s own role in historical commemoration;
  • reinforce institutional commitments to human rights, equity, justice, and reconciliation; and
  • centre collaboration with Indigenous partners and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives

The initiatives were endorsed in principle by the Provost and are intended to build on existing programs, partnerships, and areas of expertise across the University. This work emphasizes education and sustained engagement rather than commemoration, and is designed to evolve over time.

Why the Decision Was Made

Duncan Campbell Scott was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Toronto in 1921, the same year that he served as the President of the Royal Society of Canada (Backhouse, 2021). While celebrated in his time as a poet and senior civil servant, Scott is now widely recognized for his central role in expanding and enforcing Canada’s residential school system and assimilationist policies, which caused profound and lasting harm to Indigenous communities.

Following a request from members of the University community, the Standing Committee on Recognition undertook a review of Scott’s legacy and the ethical responsibilities of commemoration in higher education. The Committee recommended that Scott’s honorary degree be de-recognized through contextualization, emphasizing the importance of confronting history openly rather than obscuring it. This recommendation was accepted, and Governing Council formally adopted the de-recognition.

This decision acknowledges both Scott’s harmful legacy and the University’s role in having honoured him.

Statement of Contextualization

The following Statement of Contextualization was approved by the Committee for Honorary Degrees on February 3, 2025, in connection with the de-recognition of the honorary degree awarded to Duncan Campbell Scott in 1921.

In February 2025, the Committee for Honorary Degrees de-recognized the degree of Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa, awarded to Duncan Campbell Scott in 1921, with the following statement of contextualization:   

Duncan Campbell Scott’s legacy is fundamentally at odds with the University’s mission and values, in particular its commitment to human rights, equity and justice. His life’s work is inextricably intertwined with the devastating history of Canada’s residential schools. He presided over the expansion of the residential school system, authorizing the use of coercion and force in defiance of both legal opinion and court ruling. Despite the clear evidence of the terrible conditions and ‘startling death rolls’ in the schools, Scott and others in the government took insufficient measures to protect the health and wellbeing of the children in their care.  

These actions reveal an abhorrent disregard on the part of Scott (and Canada) for the fundamental human rights of Indigenous populations, and especially Indigenous children. In awarding Scott an honorary degree, the University of Toronto also failed to respect the human rights of Indigenous peoples and was complicit in the harms inflicted upon them. The University acknowledges and profoundly regrets its complicity. The University also recognizes that the effects of this odious history are still being felt today and it recommits to reconciliation.
– University of Toronto, Committee for Honorary Degrees (2025)

Indigenous Perspectives and Institutional Responsibility

The de-recognition of Duncan Campbell Scott takes place within a broader context of truth-telling, reconciliation, and ongoing dialogue with Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous perspectives, leadership, and lived experience are essential to understanding the impacts of colonial policy and the responsibilities of institutions such as universities.

This work recognizes that reconciliation is not a single action, but an ongoing process that requires sustained engagement, reflection, and accountability. The University approaches this work with humility, acknowledging that learning must continue and that Indigenous voices must be centred and respected through appropriate collaboration and partnership.

Educational Initiatives

Guided by the Working Group’s mandate, the University is advancing educational work across several interconnected areas. These initiatives provide opportunities for faculty and students to bring interdisciplinary perspectives to the work of truth-telling and are intended to support sustained learning and engagement over time, rather than one-time or symbolic actions.

Student Research

Supporting student-led and faculty-supervised research that explores themes such as decolonization, institutional memory, reconciliation, and public history. This includes consideration of how existing research programs, funding models, and coordinated infrastructure can best support meaningful student research and learning.

Faculty and Community-Informed Research

Encouraging research initiatives shaped in collaboration with Indigenous communities and partners, with a focus on public-facing scholarship, ethical engagement, and responsible knowledge creation.

Creative and Arts-Based Engagement

Exploring creative approaches to public learning and dialogue, including exhibitions, workshops, and other arts-based initiatives that support reflection on history, commemoration, and institutional responsibility.

Digital and Educational Resources

Developing accessible digital resources that bring together educational materials, research, and learning content related to the de-recognition process and its broader historical and institutional context.

Looking Forward

The educational initiatives related to the de-recognition of Duncan Campbell Scott are intended to evolve over time. As work continues, the University will share educational resources, learning opportunities, and updates that support ongoing reflection and engagement across the community.

This work is grounded in the understanding that reconciliation and institutional accountability are long-term commitments, and that education plays a central role in sustaining meaningful dialogue and learning.

Resources

References

  • Backhouse, C. (2021). Duncan Campbell Scott and the Royal Society of Canada: The legitimation of knowledge. In C. Backhouse, C. E. Milton, M. Kovach, & A. Perry (Eds.), Royally wronged: The Royal Society of Canada and Indigenous peoples (pp. 59–87). McGill-Queen’s University Press.