“If we can’t say what we believe to be true at a university, we don’t have a democracy.”Thus, Professor Frances Widdowson, special guest on Hannaford tonight, as she sets forth on a cross-country ‘rumble’ at several universities to test whether Canada does in fact have a democracy. A test run she recently made at the University of Regina last month suggests that by her definition, Canadian democracy may not be doing so well. “(The University of) Regina is a complete disaster,” she tells Hannaford in tonight’s show. .And so, Widdowson is now on a free-speech offensive and tonight, she lays out her plans for engagements at several of Canada's best-known universities — Wilfrid Laurier, U of T and Brock — and why she's doing it. .EXCLUSIVE: Widdowson 'will not stop' fighting for academic freedom, truth about residential schools.Three years ago, Widdowson was fired from her post as a professor of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies by what she describes as a woke bureaucracy at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. She then sued for wrongful dismissal.And won. .Arbitrator finds MRU professor’s firing excessive to conduct .Her 'offence' was that she had challenged some of today’s most powerful nostrums. For example, she had doubted the narrative of murderous priests and nuns at Indian Residential Schools, published six satirical tweets and filed what was in the administration’s opinion, a frivolous and vexatious complaint. She nevertheless persuaded an arbitrator that other people’s hurt feelings were still not a valid cause for dismissal of a tenured professor.Other tenured professors, even those who don’t share her socialist mindset, agreed..COOPER: Hurt feelings, harassment... the modern prof just can't take a joke.Before this decision was handed down however, she had already attempted to engage students at the University of Lethbridge. However, the university refused her space. This generated another lawsuit, that "may well find its way up to the Supreme Court of Canada."In tonight's show, Professor Widdowson reflects upon the value of free speech as the foundation of reaching truth and of democracy itself. Her greatest fear? That nobody cares any more."If we don’t have a population that cares about democracy, we have a problem."How true. Tune in to Hannaford at seven o clock tonight.
“If we can’t say what we believe to be true at a university, we don’t have a democracy.”Thus, Professor Frances Widdowson, special guest on Hannaford tonight, as she sets forth on a cross-country ‘rumble’ at several universities to test whether Canada does in fact have a democracy. A test run she recently made at the University of Regina last month suggests that by her definition, Canadian democracy may not be doing so well. “(The University of) Regina is a complete disaster,” she tells Hannaford in tonight’s show. .And so, Widdowson is now on a free-speech offensive and tonight, she lays out her plans for engagements at several of Canada's best-known universities — Wilfrid Laurier, U of T and Brock — and why she's doing it. .EXCLUSIVE: Widdowson 'will not stop' fighting for academic freedom, truth about residential schools.Three years ago, Widdowson was fired from her post as a professor of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies by what she describes as a woke bureaucracy at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. She then sued for wrongful dismissal.And won. .Arbitrator finds MRU professor’s firing excessive to conduct .Her 'offence' was that she had challenged some of today’s most powerful nostrums. For example, she had doubted the narrative of murderous priests and nuns at Indian Residential Schools, published six satirical tweets and filed what was in the administration’s opinion, a frivolous and vexatious complaint. She nevertheless persuaded an arbitrator that other people’s hurt feelings were still not a valid cause for dismissal of a tenured professor.Other tenured professors, even those who don’t share her socialist mindset, agreed..COOPER: Hurt feelings, harassment... the modern prof just can't take a joke.Before this decision was handed down however, she had already attempted to engage students at the University of Lethbridge. However, the university refused her space. This generated another lawsuit, that "may well find its way up to the Supreme Court of Canada."In tonight's show, Professor Widdowson reflects upon the value of free speech as the foundation of reaching truth and of democracy itself. Her greatest fear? That nobody cares any more."If we don’t have a population that cares about democracy, we have a problem."How true. Tune in to Hannaford at seven o clock tonight.
