Jordan Peterson is a professor at the University of Toronto. He has an odd connection to frogs. He jokes that some have even said that he sounds a little like Kermit the Frog. He owns a frog mask carved in the west-coast First Nations’ style. Jordan notes that frogs are extremely sensitive to pollution in their environment and he sees a personal connection in that regard. His environment is the university and the pollution that he is sensitive to is political correctness that is endangering freedom of speech.

He has chosen not to be like the proverbial frog that boiled to death as the heat was slowly turned up. He has refused to “get used to” the new political correctness and is speaking out; as a result, he is feeling the heat from his employer, the University of Toronto.

Peterson is in the centre of the battle for freedom of speech, and he is fighting bravely. The issue that touched off his battle is pronouns. In case you are not an English Major, pronouns are words like “her,” “him,” “it,” and “they.” Pronouns comprise a relatively short list of simple words—unless you are a Social Justice Warrior (SJW). Social Justice Warriors want people who do not identify as male or female to have pronouns other than “he”or “she” to identify themselves, and they want others to use the new pronouns that they are inventing. Actually, they want everyone else to be legally obligated to use these new pronouns, and because of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the law is on their side. (In case you are thinking that you are safe because you don’t live in Ontario, our House of Commons has just passed Bill C-16—without public hearings or serious debate—and sent it on to the Senate. Under the guise of protecting “trans-rights,” C-16 will give national priority to normalizing a multi-gender worldview and curtailing the freedom of speech of those who refuse to comply.

Jordan Peterson has refused to comply. He posted several videos online that explained what he is unwilling to do and why, though he has not actually been asked to use any of the new pronouns—yet.

The University of Toronto is now in a situation where one of their employees has stated that he is willing to break the law, and to do so publicly, in the name of freedom. The University has a policy that favours freedom of speech but, now that the heat is on, they don’t really want to test the limits of their openness on a subject that is so politically charged.

They sent two letters of warning to Prof. Peterson, but he insisted that the whole topic should be publicly debated, and he was willing to debate. The University agreed that it would host a debate, but the terms that they gave nearly amounted to giving up without a fight! They insisted that he not repeat his assertion that he will not use the new pronouns. He did not want to enter a debate where he would have to restrict himself or to promise not to say certain things.

In the end, however, he decided that a flawed debate would be better than no debate.

The debate, flawed as it was, took place on November 19, 2016; it turned out to be a helpful exercise. The debate was officially on Bill C-16, but the whole topic of freedom of speech was in play. Prof. Peterson was up against a “legal expert” who insisted that his fears were unfounded. Also opposing him was a Woman’s Studies Professor from the University of British Columbia; she has an interesting track record, to say the least but she was not up to the task of debating a brilliant professor like Jordan Peterson.

One of the points Mr. Peterson made during the debate was that gendered pronouns address matters of fact, not expressions of respect, as his opponents claim. Otherwise, it would be a logical impossibility to say “I disrespect him/her.” “He” and “she” are used in statements of fact, but SJWs want us to ignore biological facts and instead use pronouns and other language that accommodate a multi-gender worldview. Prof. Peterson did not back down; he did not and will not say things that he does not agree with.

There are two sides on this issue and we must choose: the side of facts and freedom championed by Jordan Peterson and the few MPs who spoke out against Bill C16, and the side of political correctness/social justice/neo-Marxism promoted by the HRCs and SJWs. The supporters of C-16 and the multi-gender approach are against the biological facts of gender reality, and opposed to people being allowed to speak the truth. They parrot the dogmas of the left, of the Liberal Party, and the NDP. The results of their intolerant views are evident in places where these folks hold power, like the Government of Canada, Ontario, and Alberta. Freedom of speech is a threat to their agenda, and they are seeking to strangle it to death.

“U of T would choose political correctness/social justice/neo-Marxism over freedom of speech” - Jordan Peterson

It’s a desperate situation but we have been here before, and the cause is not lost.

A few years back, outspoken public commentator Ezra Levant took on the world of journalism and the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Ezra has always stood fearlessly on the side of freedom of speech. A person may say things that you or I disagree with but, when that happens, it should remind us that we also have the freedom to say things that others may not like. What sets Ezra Levant apart from most of us and why we all owe him a debt of gratitude is that he went to court over it, something most of us have not done—yet. In that case, he won at least a partial victory, not only for himself but for all of us who value freedom.

Jordan Peterson may have to do the same thing to get his employer, the University of Toronto, to grudgingly support his freedom of speech.

Freedoms are never free. They don’t come cheap, and—once lost—are hard to re-gain. And freedom of speech may be the hardest of all to recover. But without it no other freedom can be defended. Please sign this petition in support of Jordan Peterson and against Bill C-16.

So, don’t get too comfortable. Don’t be fooled into relaxing when the water warms up around you; instead understand that it is a sign of danger, and get to work. If you believe that truth, as opposed to politically-correct jargon, should be spoken in the realm of politics, please join CHP Canada and add your voice to ours as we speak out for justice, freedom, and truth in Canada.

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