Demonstration in Support of Jordan Peterson to be Held Outside Ontario College of Psychologists

Jordan Peterson speaks at the 2018 Young Women's Leadership Summit hosted by Turning Point USA in Dallas, Texas, on June 15, 2018. Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0

A demonstration is slated to take place outside the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) in Toronto in support of Jordan Peterson, who is under threat of losing his clinical licence for refusing to take a social media training course required by the college over his past comments online.

The protest, which is being organized by Stacey Kauder and Bethan Nodwell, will take place on Jan. 11 at noon at 110 Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto.

“We stand with Dr. Jordan Peterson,” reads a poster for the demonstration on social media. “Defend free speech in Canada!”

Kauder and Nodwell appeared on a Canadian YouTube channel on Jan. 9 to give details of the upcoming demonstration.

Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada, is expected to appear at the event as a speaker along with former Ontario MPP Rick Nicholls.

Social media personality Palminder Singh, comedian Ben Bankas, Ottawa physician Mary O'Connor, and a number of other individuals are also expected to speak, said Nodwell.

“I read Jordan Peterson’s tweet as a bit of a distress call. He was calling for support,” said Nodwell, referring to a Twitter post made by Peterson last week in which he said the CPO had requested that he take a disciplinary training course.

Peterson said on Jan. 4 that he would not be complying with the college’s request—a decision that he said will result in a “mandatory public disciplinary session/inquiry and the possible suspension of my clinical licence.”

Peterson said the following day that he filed an application for judicial review of the college’s decision.

Protest

Kauder said organizers want the Jan. 11 protest to be peaceful and have a similar atmosphere to the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa last winter.

“I think for some people it’s really cathartic,” said Kauder, adding, “We need to show up. We need to have these rallies.”

“Are people going to be in danger of arrest [at the protest]? Unlikely,” said Nodwell. “Unless they show up and behave dangerously, then the cops will handle them appropriately.”

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre recently voiced his support for Peterson on Twitter.

“It should go without saying that in a free country, professionals should not lose their jobs and licences because they express a political opinion contrary to the licensing body that’s mandated by the government,” Poilievre said in a video posted on Jan. 6.

Peterson wrote in an op-ed published in the National Post on Jan. 4 that he is being disciplined by the college for “retweeting Pierre Poilievre,” criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and others.

He also said that he does not presume Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had anything to do with the CPO’s request for disciplinary training, but added that it “is something that has definitely happened on your [Trudeau’s] watch” and “as a consequence of your own conduct” and policies.

Trudeau is yet to respond to Peterson or comment on the situation. The Epoch Times reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.