"Broadview" traces its roots back almost two centuries to "The Christian Guardian", founded with Methodist minister Egerton Ryerson as the editor. The publication's long history makes it the oldest continuously published magazine in North America and the second oldest in the English-speaking world. The Christian Guardian was regarded as a major voice in the life of a growing country: it commented not only on matters of religion in Canada but education and political affairs. Ryerson went on to serve in government and is credited with founding the public school system in Upper Canada. He also helped develop Canada's Indian residential school system, well-known today to have resulted in devastating outcomes for Indigenous communities.