Frances Widdowson on Reinstatement Battle, Free Speech & Truth

New Westminster Times editor David Brett sits down with Dr. Frances Widdowson after another day in court over her dismissal from Mount Royal University. Frances Widdowson’s case is no longer just a personnel dispute at Mount Royal. It is a test of whether Canadian universities can still tolerate evidence-based argument on Indigenous knowledge claims, sex and gender, and the Kamloops 215 narrative. The New Westminster Times will keep covering this file — and the related Cowichan, Gitsala, and DRIPA questions — as independent journalism for Canadians who want the record, not the smokescreen. What should happen next: reinstatement, more delay, or a full airing of academic freedom? Tell us in the comments. The Battle for Reinstatement: Six years after the first complaints in October 2020, the university is seeking leave to appeal an Alberta Labour Relations Board ruling that sent her case back to the arbitrator. Widdowson walks through the legal tangle: an arbitrator who found termination was not warranted, then refused reinstatement; a labour board that called that refusal unreasonable; and a university now trying to stop the matter from going back for better reasons. She also explains the viewpoints that triggered the original conflict — including the claim that Indigenous science is not science in the sense of the scientific method, and the biological position that there are two sexes. This interview connects her academic-freedom fight to the Kamloops 215 graves narrative, intimidation on campus, union capture, and the wider Canadian debate over evidence versus “ways of knowing.” As independent media, the New Westminster Times continues its consistent, timely reporting on the Kamloops claims, the Cowichan decision, the Gitsala / Banks Island case and the instantiation of DRIPA into law. What You'll Learn: -Where Frances Widdowson’s Mount Royal case stands after the latest Alberta court hearing. -Why the Labour Board sent the arbitrator’s “unviable relationship” ruling back for reasons. -How academic freedom, harassment findings, and union strategy collide in this file. -The two core academic positions at issue: Indigenous science vs. science, and two sexes vs. gender ideology. -Why Widdowson argues EDI and campus intimidation now shape public policy, including Kamloops coverage. -Her next steps at the University of Lethbridge, Victoria, and in defamation and Charter litigation. Chapter Details / Timestamps: 00:41 – Six-year timeline: dismissal, arbitration, Labour Board, and new appeal. 03:08 – What the arbitrator actually found — and why reinstatement was refused. 05:17 – Today’s court hearing: technical arguments vs. academic freedom. 11:12 – The judge’s intervention on academic freedom. 15:02 – The viewpoints that triggered the conflict at Mount Royal. 16:21 – The March 2021 Arts Faculty Council meeting and “Indigenous science.” 17:50 – Mary Lee Mulholland’s testimony and the two-sexes claim. 20:03 – EDI ideology and why a once-ordinary academic position became “deviance.” 24:54 – Link to the Kamloops graves narrative and “ways of knowing.” 30:07 – Why campus silence still shapes students, teachers, and media. 32:28 – University of Lethbridge, police, Charter challenge, and defamation suits. 35:36 – “Hate,” Holocaust analogies, and residential-school “denialism.” 39:17 – Hate-speech law vs. incitement, and uneven enforcement. 50:58 – What comes next and where to follow Widdowson. 53:36 – Support independent journalism at The New Westminster Times. Useful Resources: New Westminster Times reporting on the Kamloops graves narrative, Cowichan decision, Gitsala case, and DRIPA. Frances Widdowson: wokeacademy.info YouTube: Frances Widdowson 1600 X: Frances Widdowson Mount Royal arbitration / Alberta Labour Relations Board public record Stay Connected: Read free stories and subscribe: NewWestTimes.com Support our work: click Support Our Work to donate by credit card Subscribe to our YouTube channel and comment — we read every comment. Have your say! Write a letter to the editor for publication at NewWestTimes.com Follow us on X: @NewWestTimes Conclusion: What will happen next: reinstatement, more delay, or a full airing of academic freedom? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. #FrancesWiddowson #MountRoyalUniversity #AcademicFreedomCanada #KamloopsGraves #Kamloops215 #IndigenousScience #EDI #CowichanDecision #DRIPA #Gitsala #AlbertaLabourBoard #NewWestminsterTimes #DavidBrett #IndependentJournalism #BritishColumbia #Canada