Canada: Jordan Peterson responds with legal action to 're-education' demands

Last Tuesday, Jan. 4, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, a psychologist and retired university professor in Canada, shared a letter sent to him by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) demanding he stop sharing his political opinions on social media, threatening him with the suspension of his license. In response, Peterson has now initiated legal action to retain his professional license.

Through his Twitter account, which has more than 3.7 million followers, Peterson showed the letter he received from the CPO with a series of requirements, including the request to "review, reflect on and ameliorate [his] professionalism in public statements." It was not simply a request, since, according to the renowned psychologist, he would face a lawsuit if he did not comply.

Peterson decided to act and confirmed that he has filed an application for judicial review with the Ontario Divisional Court. In doing so, he is seeking to stand up to the Ontario College of Psychologists and retain his license as a clinical psychologist.

Peterson's criticism of Trudeau

On his social media platforms, Peterson frequently gives his opinion on politics, often expressing clear disagreement with the measures of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and supporting the leader of the opposition, Pierre Poilievre. The psychologist believes this is one of the main reasons why he has been urged to "reflect" on his speech.

As part of the "re-education" required of him by the CPO, he must take a six-month course on how to properly make public statements. However, "depending on the progress of the training program," it could be shortened or extended.

Peterson has more than 100 published scientific papers to his name and taught at Harvard and the University of Toronto. In addition, he wrote three successful books: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999); 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018); and Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life (2020).