Three former Toronto mayors are requesting the city halt proceedings to rename Dundas Street asserting there is “considerable amounts of historical evidence” suggesting Henry Dundas actively opposed slavery.
Last week, Art Eggleton, John Sewell and David Crombie released a joint letter stating that they question the interpretation of the research leading to city council’s decision to rename Dundas Street.
“In summary, it appears that Henry Dundas for whom the street is named, was a committed abolitionist who, when facing strong opposition and certain defeat, rather than give up his quest, advocated for interim measures that would ultimately lead to that result,” the letter said.
Their position comes after new research was released by Professor Angela McCarthy, an expert in British and Scottish history and a research chair at the University of Otago in New Zealand, who discovered evidence showing that Dundas was trying to achieve the abolition of the slave trade.
Moreover, attestations put forward by The Henry Dundas Committee of Ontario, bolstered by the conclusions of a group of respected historians, have labeled claims over his involvement in prolonging slavery as “simple, reductive and contextless.”
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, was a trusted confidant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and a high powered politician and lawyer in Scotland during the late 1700s.
He held a plethora of significant political and military posts in the late 17 and early 1800s, including Treasurer of Navy, Secretary of State for War, and First Lord of the Admiralty, among others.
In 1788, while practicing as a lawyer, Dundas took a case in Scotland defending an enslaved man, named Joseph Knight, and his right to freedom. Dundas, during his closing remarks in court, famously said, “Human nature, my Lords, spurns at the thought of slavery among any parts of our species.” Knight was emancipated and slavery was eliminated in Scotland as a result of Dundas’ defence.
In 1792, Dundas put forward an amendment to politician and leader of the British abolitionist movement William Wilberforce’s failed proposition to abolish the slave trade with immediate effect by suggesting slavery be dissolved “gradually.”
Dundas’ suggestion was the first abolitionist motion to progress through the lower chamber of government in British history, despite being shut down by the House of Lords.
Toronto city council voted in favour of changing the name of Dundas Street in July 2021 following an online petition signed by thousands of members of the public demanding they consider alternative namesakes.
Former Mayor John Tory supported the petition, noting Henry Dundas never came to Canada.
City council found that in the years that followed Dundas’ motion to phase out slavery he “argued against other proposals for abolition, stating that it was not practical while Britain was at war with France,” and that his arguments prioritized “economic and military interests over human lives.”
But contentious discourse hasn’t hindered Torontonians from recommending new street name candidates.
Chloe Cooley, an enslaved woman from Queenston who boldly fought for her freedom, has been put forward, as has Mary Ann Shadd, an educator, activist, publisher, abolitionist and designated Person of National Historic Significance in Canada. Desmond Street has also been suggested, after Viola Desmond, the Nova Scotian womens’ and civil rights activist currently adorning Canadian $10 bills.
Meanwhile, others have argued that changing a street name is a substantial task.
“There are more than 730 street signs bearing the name of Dundas along the route’s 23 kilometers through Toronto,” which would cost an estimated $6.3 million to rename, according to Macleans.
The city has created a Community Advisory Committee which has been tasked with providing replacement names for Dundas Street. The committee is set to report back to council by the end of the year.
