I think most people have forgotten what the ceremony is. I was surprised at how antiquated it was when I went back after 25+ years to present a student with their ring. The language really seemed anachronistic. The whole idea of a secret society is also deeply disturbing for a profession that is all about public accountability. 

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– Emily Moore

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This is long overdue and it is something I have been thinking about for 20 years.

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I am a Metis person who self-identifies as 2S (two spirit), non-binary, queer, plus. I am currently a practicing Professional Engineer registered in Manitoba. I graduated from the University of Manitoba, Civil Engineering program in 2005, and I went through the Iron Ring Ceremony.

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To be completely honest, it was a traumatic and infuriating process.

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Over the years, I have tried to raise concerns about the colonialism and sexism that are embedded into the Iron Ring ceremony. However, although people were willing to talk to me, my concerns as an Indigenous engineering graduate were typically ignored. I was eventually passed off to the Wardens of the Iron Ring Ceremony, and subsequently given a weak excuse essentially side-stepping the issues I raised, and making excuses for how they are inclusive because they have diversity in their ranks.

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After all that nonsense I encountered during the Iron Ring ceremony itself, through my early career, and from what I have learned performing activism in the Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, I came to the conclusion that I would not wear the Iron Ring. The Iron Ring doesn’t respect my identities and values (personal and professional).

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The two issues that glare out at me over the years is the complete lack of consent and communication in the Iron Ring Ceremony. And as a queer person, consent and communication are fundamental to all my relationships. It is shameful that so-called ethical professionals are herding young people through a secret ceremony that can best be described as a 100-year old colonial hazing experience.

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The Iron Ring Ceremony needs to be either completely dismantled and retired, or transformed into something more open and transparent. 

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– Cory, Metis, graduated 2005

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The history that underpins the rite/ceremony must also be acknowledged and incorporated into the review process. The initiative that created the ceremony arose from a January 1922 speech given by HET Haultain. This origin point must be incorporated in our review because Haultain was (a) the driving force behind the initiation of the rite and (b) the person who contacted Kipling and engaged Kipling’s assistance in drafting the rite. Haultain’s speech, entitled “The Romance of Engineering”, is part of his papers held in the University of Toronto archives (Haultain was a Professor of Civil Engineering at UoT). Haultain’s correspondence with Kipling in Fall 1923 is not held in the UoT archives but were, reportedly, returned to the Kipling family (at their request) to be consolidated with Kipling’s papers in the UK. There may also be relevant correspondence (with Kipling and/or Haultain) within the archives of “Camp 1”. 

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– Derek Oliver