Frances Widdowson, who sparked controversy while working as a senior policy analyst for the GNWT in the 1990s, had her Feb. 1 lecture on SA国际影视传媒渨okeismSA国际影视传媒� cancelled at the University of Lethbridge campus.

According to dictionary.com, wokeism is defined as SA国际影视传媒渦sually disparaging promotion of liberal progressive ideology and policy as an expression of sensitivity to systemic injustices and prejudice.SA国际影视传媒�

Widdowson made in 1997 when she lost her government job, blaming it on her refusal to accept the GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 policy on traditional knowledge. She took her fight to the Supreme Court of the NWT. She was back in the news in 2020 when she claimed that residential schools had educational benefits.

She was invited to the university by one of the faculty members to give a lecture.

A Jan. 26 statement from University of Lethbridge president Mike Mahon made it clear that the institution does not align with WiddowsonSA国际影视传媒檚 ideologies.

SA国际影视传媒淲e strongly disagree with assertions that seek to minimize the significant and detrimental impact of CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 residential school system,SA国际影视传媒� Mahon said in the statement.

Despite the differences in beliefs, MahonSA国际影视传媒檚 intentions were to allow the lecture to proceed, citing the universitySA国际影视传媒檚 statement on free expression, which supports SA国际影视传媒渇ree and open scholarly discussion of issues.SA国际影视传媒�

Four days after his initial statement, on Jan. 30, he released an which stated, SA国际影视传媒淥ver the past few days, and upon learning of this lecture, we have sought guidance from those with considerable cultural, scholarly, sectoral and legal expertise, including continuing guidance from the (universitySA国际影视传媒檚) vice-provost, Indigenous relations and others.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have also received considerable input from the communities we serve SA国际影视传媒� internal and external.

SA国际影视传媒淭his input confirmed that assertions that seek to minimize the significant and detrimental impact of CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 residential school system are harmful.

SA国际影视传媒淭o ensure our community is safe, in the context of this planned lecture, the university will not provide space for this public lecture to occur on campus.SA国际影视传媒�

Widdowson, a former Mount Royal University professor, proceeded with her lecture on Zoom. She also gave an account of what occurred after the lecture at the University of Lethbridge was cancelled.

SA国际影视传媒淏ecause of the president and his pandering to activists, this presentation was not allowed to go forward,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Even though her lecture at the university had been cancelled, she was not banned from being on campus grounds. She decided that she would spread the word in an undesignated area on campus.

SA国际影视传媒淚nstead, I decided that I would go to the university to try to give some aspects of my talk and about 1,000 people showed up, which was very surprising how many people were there, and they (university managers) basically decided that I was not going to be able allowed to speak.

She stated that she did not feel threatened by the students SA国际影视传媒� some of whom reportedly attempted to shout her down SA国际影视传媒� but security was getting nervous and suggested that she leave.

SA国际影视传媒淚n the end, it was all good,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 think more attention is being drawn to wokeism and the problems of wokeism, which we wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 have had if we didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have all this occur.SA国际影视传媒�

Yellowknifer asked how her time as a policy analyst in the NWT shaped her ideas about Indigenous ways of knowing.

SA国际影视传媒淵es, that was where I got into this,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎lbert Howard and I met in the Northwest Territories. He was a consultant for Indigenous groups and I was a policy analyst. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 when I encountered what was then called traditional knowledge, which has the Indigenous ways of knowing.

SA国际影视传媒淲hat was happening was a diamond mine was coming in, in the Northwest Territories, and they were having hearings on incorporating traditional knowledge into policy.

SA国际影视传媒淲e realized that there was a lot of whatSA国际影视传媒檚 called SA国际影视传媒榬ent seekingSA国际影视传媒� going on, attempts to extract transfers for this traditional knowledge, which often was not very beneficial.SA国际影视传媒�

She said that as she and Howard began to investigate these issue, her ideology began to take shape.

Trista Haugland, media and communications coordinator for the territorial government said they did not have a comment on WiddowsonSA国际影视传媒檚 views.