One of the most famous psychologists in the world, Jordan Peterson, is facing the scrutiny of a Canadian medical board over several political Tweets—that could result in him losing his licensing.
Key Details
- Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson is one of the world’s most successful celebrity psychologists, with two New York Times bestselling self-help books and hundreds of hours of online lectures discussing meaning, philosophy, theology, and truth.
- Peterson is now facing the scrutiny of the College of Psychologists of Ontario, who are threatening to suspend his license to operate as a clinical psychologist unless he undergoes remedial social media training—what Peterson has dismissed as “reeducation” for “wrongthink.”
- The Toronto Sun reports that the threat comes following a series of tweets criticizing COVID masking policies and mandates and sparring with the former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Gerald Butts, and Trudeau himself. Various Twitter accounts reported these interactions to the College.
- “I am to take a course of such training, with reports documenting my ‘progress,’ or face an in-person tribunal and suspension of my right to operate as a licensed clinical psychologist,” says Peterson.
Why It’s News
Peterson is no stranger to contentious political discussions. He became famous in 2016 after criticizing Canadian Bill C-16, claiming that the bill would enforce speech codes and harm free speech. This earned him a reputation for being “transphobic,” as the provisions of the law related explicitly to preferred pronoun usage. He has since focused on public lecture tours, quit his job at the University of Toronto in January 2022, and joined The DailyWire as a content producer.
Peterson is a multi-millionaire, and his celebrity has drawn him away from clinical practice over the past six years, but he intends to fight the College’s attempt to remove his license in court. He has threatened to forgo the appeals process and take it to court to defend his record as a clinical psychologist.
“I have been accused of harming people, although none of the complainants involved in the current action were clients of mine, past or present, or were even acquainted with any of my clients,” says Peterson.
“The call for an investigation was made on March 8, 2022, over a series of tweets that are mostly political in nature and, quite frankly, not anything the College of Psychologists of Ontario should be concerned about … He said that he doesn’t trust the process and that is why he is skipping the appeal process and heading straight to court to ask that the Charter be respected and the College’s excesses be reined in,” says The Toronto Sun.