A lawsuit has been launched against the University of Lethbridge after a speaking engagement by Frances Widdowson was cancelled earlier this year. Hundreds attended a protest at the U of L on February 1, 2023, with members both in support of and in opposition to Widdowson. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lawsuit launched against U of L by cancelled guest speaker Frances Widdowson

Aug 4, 2023 | 7:21 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A woman who was invited to speak at the University of Lethbridge (U of L) earlier this year is suing the school for cancelling her event.

Frances Widdowson, along with fellow applicants Paul Viminitz, a U of L philosophy professor; and Jonah Pickle, an undergraduate neuroscience student at the university, say the U of L violated Widdowson’s rights to expression and assembly under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In November 2022, Viminitz invited Widdowson to speak to members of the university and the public on the topic of, “How Woke-ism Threatens Academic Freedom.” The speaking engagement was scheduled to be held at the university’s Anderson Hall on February 1, 2023.

According to documents filed in court by the applicants, “The Event was for the purpose of Widdowson, Viminitz and Pickle as well as all other interested parties assembling and engaging in social and democratic discourse, seeking and promulgating the truth, and seeking self-fulfillment.”

A few days prior to the event, however, backlash from the public was growing. The U of L gave in to calls to cancel the event due to its commitments to Indigenous reconciliation.

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READ MORE: University of Lethbridge cancels event featuring controversial speaker

On the day that the event was scheduled, over 700 people showed up at the university, both in support of and in opposition to Widdowson and her views. The protest and counterprotest were held peacefully.

Although Widdowson still attended the U of L on February 1 and spoke with those in attendance, her scheduled event did not take place as planned.

Widdowson stated in her affidavit that, “My experience at the University of Lethbridge is a textbook case of how ‘woke-ism’ is threatening academic freedom and freedom of expression on university campuses.”

The lawsuit claims that, in cancelling the event, the U of L “showed a reckless disregard for the Charter and its statutory authority and mandate,” and “demonstrated an intention and likelihood to continue to violate rights guaranteed under the Charter by imposing unreasonable limits on Charter section 2(b) and 2(c) guarantees, not prescribed by law and not demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”

The applicants want the Court of King’s Bench to declare that the cancellation was a breach of their freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, as well as require the university to permit the event to proceed on campus without any conditions that were not originally imposed on it.

They are not seeking financial compensation.

The court application can be viewed on the Judicial Centre of Calgary website.

As this is a legal matter, the University of Lethbridge told LNN it could not provide a statement.

READ MORE: Hundreds protest controversial speaker Frances Widdowson at University of Lethbridge

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