Controversial speaker on U of M campus prompts protest

Security was on hand at the University of Manitoba campus as protesters tried to overwhelm a talk being given by a controversial speaker.

Frances Widdowson, a former professor at Mount Royal University who was fired in 2020, was at the U of M campus Thursday afternoon to have a discussion on her claims the discovery of mass graves at a former Kamloops residential school was a hoax.

“I’m not just going to stay silent,” said Mary Starr, whose traditional name is Great-grandmother Bear That Comes Like the Wind.

Starr, a residential school survivor, attended the discussion to protest Widdowson’s discussion.

“I’m from Fort Alexander. We have unmarked graves over there, and I’m not going to let someone say that this is all a hoax. It’s not a hoax.”

Meanwhile, others said they were there to support the event.

“I saw a lot of kerfuffle on the internet about a demonstration that was going to be held against Frances Widdowson, and I want to go see what it was,” said Callum Young Thiessen, a student at the University of Winnipeg.

“I just think we should be able to have speakers out on the campus – period. Doesn’t matter what they’re talking about.”

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs condemned the event in a release Thursday afternoon, saying it was outraged Widdowson was allowed to speak on campus.

“Allowing someone who denies the violence, deaths, and systemic abuse of our little ones in residential schools to speak at Manitoba’s largest university is irresponsible and harmful,” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said in the release. “First Nations Survivors and families continue to live with the trauma of these institutions. To deny these truths is an act of violence in itself.”

The university told CTV News “diverse speakers” are allowed to book space on campus, as outlined in its booking police. It said a faculty member had initially looked into inviting Widdowson on campus, but ultimately decided not to proceed.

“Following that, the individual communicated on social media that she would attend campus without a booking,” a statement from the U of M reads. “She led an outdoor discussion that was permitted to proceed, consistent with the university’s commitment to freedom of expression.”

Widdowson also plans to give a similar talk at the University of Winnipeg on Friday.