{"id":8568,"date":"2023-02-19T15:27:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-19T20:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.nfshost.com\/?p=8568"},"modified":"2023-02-19T15:27:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T20:27:49","slug":"prof-frances-widdowson-latest-victim-of-campus-cancel-culture-lecture-cancelled-because-her-questioning-residential-schools-narrative-offends-the-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cafe.nfshost.com\/?p=8568","title":{"rendered":"Prof. Frances Widdowson – Latest Victim of Campus Cancel Culture. Lecture Cancelled Because Her Questioning Residential Schools Narrative Offends the University"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BREAKING: The Department of Indigenous Studies and others vehemently condemn Frances Widdowson <\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Hymie Rubenstein<\/a>Jan 27<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The REAL Indigenous Issues Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A scheduled February 1, 2023 lecture at the University of Lethbridge (U of L) by Dr. Frances Widdowson whose unfair dismissal in December 2021 from her tenured position at Calgary\u2019s Mount Royal University [MRU] has been reported on several times in this newsletter, including in the piece below, has created a firestorm of controversy.The REAL Indigenous Issues NewsletterFighting Back Against Big Brother’s LoveAs most active readers know, Frances Widdowson is a former professor of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University unfairly fired by the university in December 2021 for daring to be a vocal advocate for academic freedom and free speech\u2026Read morea month ago \u00b7 10 likes \u00b7 2 comments<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of people have digitally signed a petition on Change.org<\/a> seeking to have the event cancelled. The petition states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her presence on campus not only denigrates the status of the University by giving space to a speaker who promotes historical falsities and racial bigotry, but endangers students\u2019 well-being and safety.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The petition has attracted the attention of U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon, who issued the following statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Lethbridge has become aware of a guest speaker, invited by one of our faculty members, whose views are in conflict with a number of the values held by the University \u2014 including the University\u2019s stated commitment to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. We strongly disagree with assertions that seek to minimize the significant and detrimental impact of Canada\u2019s residential school system. I have heard from many students, faculty and staff who have expressed their disappointment that this event is taking place. It is encouraging that a concurrent evidence-based counter-lecture has also been organized, and that the vast majority of our community finds these views abhorrent.<\/em><\/p>

The U of L Statement on Free Expression states that its \u201cmandate affirms its commitment to protect free inquiry and scholarship, facilitate access to scholarly resources, and support artistic expression and free and open scholarly discussion of issues.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mahon also said that debate or deliberation on campus \u201cmay not be suppressed because the ideas put forward are thought by some, or even more, to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or misguided.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This largely virtue-signaling reply that nevertheless upholds academic freedom and constitutionally protected speech did not satisfy the U of L\u2019s indigenous studies department which just issued the following statement full of distortions and other errors as shown by my annotated comments in UPPER CASE BOLD<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Indigenous Studies vehemently condemns the anti-Indigenous rhetoric routinely disseminated by former MRU professor Frances Widdowson and deplores the fact that she is being given a platform to legitimize that discourse on our campus<\/em>. [ANTI-INDIGENOUS RHETORIC IS ANYTHING THAT REMOTELY CHALLENGES THE RHETORICALLY FALACIOUS MAINSTREAM NARRATIVE]<\/strong> Widdowson has left us in no doubt as to her positions; she has regularly espoused these views through published articles, public speaking, broadcast podcasts, and other public forums. She specifically denounces the TRC\u2019s classification of the Residential School system as genocide and disputes the veracity of the unmarked graves of Indigenous children found at the sites of multiple former Residential School sites<\/em>. [GENOCIDE? THERE IS NOT SINGLE VERIFIED EXAMPLE OF A CHILD MURDERED BY A STAFF MEMBER AT ANY RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL; NO \u201cUNMARKED GRAVES\u201d HAVE BEEN LOCATED OUTSIDE THOSE IN KNOWN INDIGENOUS RESERVE GRAVEYARDS. NONE.]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facts of the Residential School system and the experiences of Indigenous children within that system were rigorously established through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission<\/em>. [THE WORK OF THE TRC AND THE QUESTIONING OF THE INDIGENOUS \u201cSURVIVORS\u201d WAS THE FURTHEST THING FROM \u201cRIGOROUS.\u201d]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n