Canada: Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Jordan Peterson's Social Media Training Order
Canada: Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Jordan Peterson's Social Media Training Order
The Facts
The Supreme Court of Canada has denied psychologist Jordan Peterson review of a 2022 social media training order issued to him by the College of Psychologists of Ontario, which was brought over concerns regarding his online presence.
Peterson had been a registered psychologist since 1999 but had not seen patients since 2017. The College ruled that that Peterson's online statements had been "degrading, demeaning and unprofessional," and had a lower court dismiss his first appeal last summer.
The Spin
Jordan Peterson has consistently hid behind his credentials as a psychologist in order to spew untrue and disparaging rhetoric about groups that include trans people and his ideological opponents. His fame cannot shield him from the standards of professionalism people in his occupation are meant to uphold, and the College did the right thing in attempting to rein in his inflammatory comments.
The Supreme Court has ruled that an ideologically captured regulatory body has veto power over the speech rights of its members, even if they have nothing to do with the occupation whatsoever. What's more, Peterson is now mandated to undergo what can only be described as a reeducation process to correct wrongthink. This is an Orwellian encroachment on freedom that everyone should be opposed to.
