Commentary On Jan. 31, Dr. Michael Mahon, president of the University of Lethbridge, cancelled a talk that Dr. Frances Widdowson was scheduled to present. Like all scholars, Dr. Widdowson has nuanced views on many issues, and she was going to speak on “How Wok-ism Threatens Academic Freedom.” Even though President Mahon had not listened to…

Commentary It is somewhat unsettling to discover that no matter how fervently we believe in something, others believe differently. Perhaps more frustratingly, we soon discover that our interlocutors are as passionate about their beliefs as we are about ours and have sound reasons for believing as they do. This is why free speech is the…

Commentary University of Lethbridge president Michael J. Mahon’s recent cancellation of a talk by Frances Widdowson marks yet another failure of Canadian universities to maintain open academic environments where candid speech and robust discourse are encouraged. Dr. Widdowson is a noted scholar of aboriginal issues whose views diverge from the mainstream narrative concerning Canada’s treatment…

After controversy over the University of Lethbridge’s (U of L) decision to cancel a guest speaker’s public lecture on Feb. 1, an Alberta government minister has vowed the province will be taking further steps to protect campus free speech. Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s minister of advanced education, told The Epoch Times Tuesday that the U of…