Court Says University of Lethbridge Got It Wrong When It Nixed Frances Widdowson’s Lecture

On Thursday, Justice Chris Simard of the Alberta Court of King's Bench declared that the University of Lethbridge made a serious legal mistake when it pulled the plug on a 2023 lecture by Frances Widdowson. The decision, the judge wrote, was “fundamentally and fatally flawed” because the university failed to consider the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Widdowson, a former tenured professor at Mount Royal University, had been invited by a faculty member to speak on a topic she labels “How ‘Woke‑ism’ Threatens Academic Freedom.” The event was slated for February 1, 2023, but campus officials abruptly decided the talk could not be held on university grounds.

In the ensuing judicial review, Widdowson and a student named Jonah Pickle argued that the cancellation trampled on their Section 2(b) rights—freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression—as well as their Section 2(c) right to peaceful assembly. Simard agreed the university “failed to appreciate and expressly consider” those Charter protections, rendering the decision legally unsound.

Interestingly, the judge stopped short of ruling on the assembly claim, noting that neither side presented a “substantial argument” on that point. The focus, he said, was squarely on the freedom of expression issue.

Widdowson reacted with a mix of relief and resolve. “I’m incredibly pleased with the ruling,” she told CBC, adding that she’s ready to deliver the lecture “tomorrow” if the university finally lets her. She warned, however, that the campus would have to grapple with what she called the “derangement” of “orange‑shirt activism.”

The university, for its part, tried to argue that the Charter didn’t bind it because it’s an autonomous institution, not a government body. Simard dismissed that technicality, pointing out that when a university regulates expression on campus it is performing a “governmental” function, and therefore must abide by Charter standards.

In a brief statement after the judgment, the University of Lethbridge said it had received the ruling and was now reviewing the decision. “We will issue a further statement once that analysis is complete,” the institution promised.

The backdrop to the controversy was a wave of student activism. Two petitions, gathering more than 4,000 signatures, labelled Widdowson a “residential‑school denialist” and urged the university to bar her from the podium. Initially, the university cited its free‑expression policy and said the talk could go ahead, but it later reversed course, citing a conflict with its values.

Three and a half years later, Justice Simard noted it is “practically impossible” for the event to be rescheduled, though he stopped short of ordering the university to reinstate the lecture. The ruling, however, sends a clear message: universities cannot sidestep Charter rights when they decide who gets to speak on their campuses.

Widdowson, still fighting a 2021 dismissal from Mount Royal, said she is “completely prepared” for any backlash and hopes the decision will encourage more open dialogue about the challenges facing academic freedom in Canada.