You might remember a bit of a kerfuffle a few years ago over some alleged unmarked graves buried outside of some residential schools across Canada.According to the press and the federal government, a mass atrocity — where indigenous children were taken hostage and brutally murdered by insane religious clerics — had taken place.In May 2021, when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the "confirmation" of 215 children’s remains at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, it fundamentally shifted the country. We saw flags lowered for six months, a new federal holiday (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation), and over $100 million in federal funding pledged for grave searches.It was only then that a slight problem with the narrative emerged.There is no evidence.There are no publicly verified remains to date.Five years later, the gap between mass atrocity and forensic reality has become a massive political fault line.Enter Dr. Frances Widdowson, a former Mount Royal University professor whose critique of “woke” academic culture and the residential school atrocity narrative has put her directly in the crosshairs of campus censors at the University of Lethbridge.Following a 2023 guest lecture that was shut down by protesters, the University of Lethbridge issued her a preemptive trespass notice to prevent her from returning to the public square..When she attempted to visit the campus cafeteria this past week, the administration treated her presence as a "security threat," issuing a campus-wide alert before having police physically remove her in handcuffs.On Tuesday, I called for the Alberta government to show some backbone and pull the plug on the University of Lethbridge (my alma mater, I’m sad to admit). I argued that an institution using police to "disappear" dissenting scholars has forfeited its right to taxpayer funding.Well, the government has responded. If you were looking for leadership, you’re going to be disappointed.Advanced Education Minister Myles McDougall’s statement to the Western Standard is the ultimate bureaucratic cop-out. It is a masterpiece of moral hollowness that says everything and absolutely nothing at the same time.The Minister points to a 2019 directive for universities to adopt the "Chicago Statement" on free expression. Six years later, it appears those principles are enforced simply by self-reporting requirements on any potential infractions by potentially offended university administrations.That’s almost like saying, “Don’t worry, we have a spreadsheet for this.”.McDougall claims institutions must "balance" free expression and campus safety. I agree.But I don’t understand how this situation could indicate a balance.This is clearly administrative overreach.The University of Lethbridge is effectively telling its students that evidence-based theoretical and physical research is completely out of the bounds of acceptable academic thought within the grounds of their hallowed campus.Furthermore, by "balancing" compelled speech against "safety," the government is giving a green light to every radical dean in the province. If they can find a single activist to claim they feel "psychologically unsafe," the administration has the right to call the police and end the debate.Even worse is the Minister’s hiding behind the "matter before the courts" excuse.Since when does a pending lawsuit prevent a Minister of the Crown from condemning the sight of a peaceful academic being dragged away by police on a taxpayer-funded campus?I was honestly surprised that we didn’t receive the exact same response from the University itself..Oh wait.They did say pretty much the same thing.“Universities are places where controversial ideas should be examined ... [but] the University issued a trespass notice [because] safety could no longer be maintained,” says the administration.“The concern with the ability to safely manage the situation is further challenged by her ... encouraging and inciting a crowd response.”The cafeteria she was arrested in was virtually empty.The statement then directly refers to the ongoing court matter, just like the statement from the Minister of Advanced Education.At least they’ve got their stories straight.This is a government that has spent years telling us they are the antidote to the "woke" capture of our institutions. .But when the police cruisers show up, they retreat into the safe language of bureaucratic processes.I’m going to be honest, I expected better — at least something to tell me that the province was taking this seriously.This is a betrayal of the students and alumni who look to this government to protect their right to think.Albertans didn't vote for a government that manages the "rot" through annual reporting requirements. They voted for them to stop it.I guess in the eyes of the Minister of Advanced Education, you can arrest anyone you want, as long as you file the paperwork by October.Unbelievable.
