University of Alberta women’s and gender studies professor Lise Gotell insulted Premier Danielle Smith for going to various events in small towns. While Smith was going to small town events, Gotell noted many of the attendees were white. “Premier Smith updates us on her tour of white Alberta,” tweeted Gotell on Sunday..Since she had received backlash for her comment, she said she “never thought I would live in a Canada in which racists would be so emboldened.” She called for people to read the replies with caution. Gotell was commenting on Smith saying she was having a great weekend, which she kicked off by participating in the Westlock and District Agricultural Fair Parade with Alberta United Conservative Party MLA Glenn van Dijken (Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock). “Then I headed to Drayton Valley to meet constituents at the Small Town Big Life Party with MLA Andrew Boitchenko,” she said. .Beltline Urban Society President Rob Taylor said Gotell’s comment was an ugly remark to make for no good reason. “You must be a deeply hate filled person,” said Taylor. .Former Calgary Herald publisher Peter Menzies said he was stunned. “University prof,” said Menzies. .This ordeal comes after a U of A professor was awarded a grant from the Department of National Defence in 2023 to assess the extent of white supremacy in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).READ MORE: Alberta professor investigates white supremacy in Canadian militaryU of A political science professor Andy Knight will look into how entrenched radicalization, antisemitism, xenophobia, and anti-black sentiments are in the CAF and devise policy suggestions based on his findings. He would produce a 25-minute documentary about his research.
