Councillor calls on Canadian Tire Centre to cancel Jordan Peterson event
An Ottawa councillor is calling on the Ottawa Senators and Canadian Tire Centre to cancel controversial psychologist and self-help author Jordan Peterson's book tour stop in Ottawa next week.
The former University of Toronto professor-turned-YouTube personality is visiting Ottawa on Monday as part of his Beyond Order tour.
In an open letter to the Senators, Canadian Tire Centre and Creative Artists Agency, Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster expresses her disappointment in the decision to host the event.
"Ottawa has seen a rise in hate against 2SLGBTQ+ people in recent years, Jordan Peterson’s event undermines the work that the city and community organizations are doing to create stronger and more equitable communities," Troster writes, who is the Council Liaison for Women, Gender Equity and 2SLGBTQ+.
Peterson rose to prominence in 2016 with a series of YouTube videos in which he spoke out against gender-neutral pronouns and Bill C-16, which banned discrimination against people based on gender identity.
His book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos was published in 2018 and has sold millions of copies. His follow-up Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, was released last year.
Peterson was suspended from Twitter last summer after violating Twitter’s hateful conduct policy by posting tweets targeting transgender actor Eliot Page. New Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated Peterson’s account in November.
Last week, a coalition of community groups released a statement condemning the event and called on the CTC to cancel Peterson's show. The letter said Peterson was an "avid supporter" of the 'Freedom Convoy' occupation.
"This is not the only reason that we express our concern around this event. The toxic, and often violent, rhetoric touted by Peterson—whose quasi-academic ideas are misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and racist has led to an increased environment of hate, especially toward the trans community, that has been very present in Ottawa," the letter said.
The letter was signed by more than 30 non-profits, businesses and organizations, including the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, Kind Space, the Council of Canadians, Defend Choice, the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, Canadian Anti-Hate Network and the City for All Women Initiative.
Troster says council passed a motion condemning anti-trans hate in December, and the Senators' decision to host Peterson "directly contradicts" the National Hockey League's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
"I hope you will re-consider hosting this event and connect with 2SLGBTQ+ community organizations in Ottawa to forge a path forward that ensures that the Canadian Tire Centre is never used as a platform for hate and discrimination," Troster writes.
The Beyond Order tour featured nearly 100 stops this year in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. There are about 30 stops planned for next year so far.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Ottawa gives final approval for Rogers $26B purchase of Shaw
Rogers Communications Inc's $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. cleared the last regulatory hurdle Friday, more than two years after the deal was first announced.

Deceased found in St. Lawrence River were from Romania, India: police
The six people who were recovered from the St. Lawrence River Thursday consisted of two families from Romania and India who were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally, police said Friday. A child under three is still missing.
Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.
These are the conditions -- and penalties if violated -- of the Rogers-Shaw deal
Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has approved Rogers Communications Inc.'s $20-billion takeover of rival telecom Shaw Communications Inc., but there are conditions attached and penalties of up to $1 billion if the companies violate them.
Syphilis cases in babies skyrocket in Canada amid health-care failures
The numbers of babies born with syphilis in Canada are rising at a far faster rate than recorded in the United States or Europe, an increase public health experts said is driven by increased methamphetamine use and lack of access to the public health system for Indigenous people.
BREAKING | Oscar Pistorius denied parole as Reeva Steenkamp's parents oppose his early release
Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole, the lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp's parents said after the parole hearing.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' years ago nightmare for neighbour on upscale street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole not seeking re-election, leaving this spring
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole says he will not seek re-election and plans to resign his seat this spring. The Ontario MP led the Conservatives and served as official Opposition leader from August 2020 until February 2022, when a majority of his caucus voted to remove him from the post.
Trump's indictment in New York: Here's what to know
The vote of a Manhattan grand jury to indict the Republican former president on charges related to hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign catapults the now-candidate Donald Trump into a new era of legal risk and complicates his attempts to return to the White House.