In a move that seems batsh*t crazy even by Canadian standards — remember, this is a country that suspended civil liberites because protesters were making Justin Trudeau look bad — a court has ordered Jordan Peterson to be reeducated and pay a $25,000 fine. All because a handful of people, some of whom not even Canadian, didn’t like his tweets.
Peterson, as I’m sure you can guess, is ordering the Canadian court to reeducate deez nuts. Only in a more, Peterson-esque way.
What happened between Jordan Peterson and Ontario College
In January, Peterson was informed that OCP was demanding he submit himself to mandatory social-media communication retraining. If not, he would face an in-person tribunal and suspension of his right to operate as a licensed clinical psychologist.
About a dozen people complained that, because of comments he made during a four-hour-long Joe Rogan podcast, he should not be allowed to practice psychology in Canada. Even though not every one of the dozen was from Canada.
Peterson released the full complaint, and it read like a list of 101 Reasons Why We Love Jordan Peterson on Twitter. Twelve global people and the OCP disagreed.
The professor said at the time of any attempt to “retrain” him: “Someone said I should just record it and put it online. I don’t know I’d like to put any educator through the horrible process of having to come and try to re-educate me either. Because I can’t see how that would go particularly well for them. I’m not sure who would end up re-education in a situation like that.”
How is Peterson responding?
The decision came down on Wednesday that sided with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Justice Paul Schabas wrote that the college’s order that Peterson undergo a program on professionalism in public statements balanced its mandate to regulate the profession, “is not disciplinary and does not prevent Dr. Peterson from expressing himself on controversial topics.”Citing a clear and transparent review process from the college, previous warnings it had made to Peterson about his language and his “unwillingness to acknowledge the (complaints committee’s) concerns,” Schabas dismissed the judicial review application and ordered Peterson to pay the college $25,000.
This means the government ruled, that because twelve people don’t like Jordan Peterson, he needs to be reeducated on how to “properly” use social media, and pay the college 25 grand for their pain and suffering. Over tweets and JP hanging out with Rogan.
Peterson dropped X on the matter and is telling the college and the Canadian government to bring it on.
Peterson responding will make things entertaining. But this also needs to get filed under Pay Attention, America. Canada gets away with this because they don’t have a First Amendment or free speech rights. We do. For now. Don’t think for one minute (which is 1:36 Canadian) that Leftists in this country aren’t gazing at Canada with goo-goo ideas and counting the days when they can do the same here.
