Jordan Peterson fights Canadian regulator in court over license threat.
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Takes on Canadian Regulator in Court
Renowned psychologist and bestselling author, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, is currently facing off against a Canadian regulator in court. The regulator has demanded that Peterson undergo “remedial” social media training or risk losing his psychologist license.
In November, the College of Psychologists of Ontario accused Peterson of lacking professionalism in some of his social media posts. The government-backed regulator ordered him to undergo “social media communications retraining” and coaching for his Twitter commentary, with the threat of license suspension looming.
Peterson, who is also a host on Daily Wire+, strongly criticized the attempt to revoke his license, arguing that it is an infringement on free speech.
On Twitter, Peterson expressed his refusal to participate in the mandated training, stating, “BREAKING: the Ontario College of Psychologists @CPOntario has demanded that I submit myself to mandatory social-media communication retraining with their experts for, among other crimes, retweeting @PierrePoilievre and criticizing @JustinTrudeau and his political allies.”
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) January 3, 2023
Yesterday, Peterson had his day in court.
Peterson’s legal team argued that the regulator has been targeting him since his rise to public prominence in 2017. With a massive following of 15 million across YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, Peterson claims he was never investigated during his 20 years of practice prior to his public exposure.
His legal team presented their case to a three-judge panel in a packed Toronto court, seeking to overturn the regulator’s decision. They emphasized that tweeting about socio-political topics is an essential form of free expression in today’s society.
Peterson himself did not attend the day-long court hearing.
The regulator accused Peterson of various offenses, including retweeting criticism of Trudeau, expressing opposition to the Ottawa police’s handling of Trucker Convoy protesters’ children, and making controversial statements on gender theory, climate change, and body positivity.
Peterson’s legal team argued that the regulator took his social media comments out of context, highlighting that many of them were sarcastic jokes or made in a limited character environment like Twitter.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation appeared in court to support Peterson, asserting that professional regulators should not regulate off-duty conduct unless there is a clear connection to the profession’s legitimate interests. They also emphasized the duty to protect freedom of expression.
In January, Peterson wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressing concern about the government’s targeting of political critics. He stated, “There is simply and utterly no excuse whatsoever for such a state of affairs in a free country.”
The court has reserved its decision, and the outcome is eagerly awaited.
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