The NDP tries to silence Jordan Peterson

“Morally reprehensible.” That’s how the New Democratic Party is describing the decision by Conservative MPs to invite world-renowed psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson to testify in front of the justice committee in the House of Commons tomorrow.

Dr. Peterson is set to testify on the topic of online hate, a subject he is well-versed in as he has helped young men and women throughout the globe straighten out their lives and turn away from toxic behaviours online. He is also one of the biggest intellectual figures on social media today.

Often slandered in the press as a scapegoat for bad online actors, Dr. Peterson has become the world’s most famous psychologist, regularly touring the world and selling out venues generally reserved for rock stars, speaking to championship sports teams, and motivating people to “clean their rooms.”

Tracey Ramsey, an NDP MP from Essex said that the offical opposition is “dangerously pandering to divisive politics instead of standing up for human rights” by inviting Peterson.

According to the National Post, “Conservative MP Michael Cooper, one of the committee’s vice-chairs, said the NDP has been aware of the witness list for about a month and had ample opportunity to object to Peterson’s inclusion before it was finalized.”

Peterson’s Thursday morning testimony comes as Justin Trudeau visits Paris to sign the Christchurch Call, a pledge that will be signed by Britain, Jordan, Senegal, Indonesia, Australia, Norway and Ireland.” The Call is basically a non-binding censorship pact that could potentially embolden nations to monitor and sanitize the speech of their citizens.

In a futile attempt, the NDP asked the Liberal party to join in the condemnation of Peterson, who has sold approximately 3 million books worldwide and successfully defended the principle of free speech at the famous Munk Debates along with his partner Stephen Fry.

The fact that a major political party in Canada would call the forthcoming testimony of a prominent clinical psychologist and tenured professor from Toronto “morally reprehensible” goes to show just how far down the hole of social justice and compelled speech our country has fallen.

It appears that Dr. Peterson’s perspective on what’s truly dangerous online could not have come at a more appropriate time.