Dr. Jordan Peterson has announced he’s launching a court challenge against the College of Psychologists’ efforts to remove his license unless he complies with social media re-education training.
Peterson filed an application for judicial review with the Ontario Divisional Court, he revealed in a Jan. 4 interview with Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley.
Earlier this week, Peterson revealed that the College is ordering him to attend a coaching program “to review, reflect on, and ameliorate my professionalism in public statements.”
A “Coach” would assess Peterson’s performance within six months of starting the program to determine whether he requires more time in re-education classes.
The letter does not specify what Peterson said to require re-education. Rather, the letter generally blames his “social media” posts and comments Peterson made on a four-hour episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Peterson said the College is demanding he submit himself to mandatory social-media communication retraining for the “crimes” of retweeting federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his allies.
He also said none of the complaints came from any of his past or present patients or from any of their acquaintances.
“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,” he said.
Peterson said the College informed him of a dozen complaints against him from people worldwide about things he’s written on Twitter and things he said on Rogan’s podcast.
According to the letter, the College also requires Peterson to pay for the re-education training.
“I am aware that if I do not comply with the terms set out in this Acknowledgment and Undertaking, this may result in an allegation of professional misconduct, and the College may take disciplinary action in this regard,” the letter stipulates.
Peterson has said he will make everything on the case public at some point.
