Peterson’s punishment raises questions about free speech
The recent decision by the Ontario College of Psychologists that Jordan Peterson must submit himself to social media re-education or lose his clinical licence reveals the absurd social and political state that Canada has devolved into. To draw an analogy that might amuse, it would be as if a state or provincial track and field association had asked Usain Bolt to undergo a series of workshops on how to be a good sprinter.
Peterson, the most famous public intellectual of our time, must have committed a serious crime, right? He has…if you are opposed to free speech and constitutional rights. He retweeted a Pierre Poilievre tweet and strongly criticized Justin Trudeau. Apparently, in today’s Canada, that means that you must undergo re-education. What other conclusion are we to come to? The clear message now is that you must not support the political candidate of your choice or criticize our current prime minister, or you could lose your licence, perhaps even your job.
A mere 12 people, in Peterson’s audience of millions, complained about him, none of whom were in his clinical practice. It is virtually impossible not to conclude from this that our rights as citizens to express our opinion or our political preference are in danger. As Canadians we ought to be very alarmed. The combination of this action, as well as Bills C-11 and C-18, represent a new zenith in the suppression of free speech in our society and an obvious new attempt to force us to cede our constitutional rights to an increasingly woke ideology.
Peterson has done nothing wrong. They just don’t like him. In the end he will be fine. He has enough notoriety and wealth to get by. The question will ultimately be, how safe will the rest of us be if we speak up in the new society that appears to be taking shape?
Perry Foster
Duncan