OTTAWA, ON (August 15, 2024):
“Professional regulators are stepping far beyond their mandates, punishing individuals not for their professional conduct, but for their personal opinions.”
In A new censorship – regulatory creep, professional regulators, and growing limits on freedom of expression, Christine Van Geyn exposes how professional regulatory bodies are increasingly using their power to censure and silence professionals that dare to speak their minds on controversial issues.
Her paper examines several case studies – including the notorious case of Dr. Jordan Peterson – and reveals how professional associations regularly overstep their mandates to enforce ideological conformity among their members.
Van Geyn highlights the chilling effect regulator’s actions have on professionals’ willingness to speak freely. She delves into the misuse of power by these bodies and calls for urgent reforms to curtail these associations’ authority, advocating for a balanced approach that respects both professional integrity and individual rights.
The case of Dr. Jordan Peterson, a globally recognized clinical psychologist and academic, serves as a stark example of the dangers posed by this trend. Peterson, known for his outspoken views on various social and political issues, became the target of his professional regulatory body, the College of Psychologists of Ontario. The College initiated disciplinary action against Peterson, not for his clinical practice, but for his public statements.
Van Geyn, a lawyer, author, and the litigation director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, leaves no doubt that the College of Psychologists of Ontario’s persecution of Peterson represents an absurd overreach: “regulatory bodies are overstepping their mandates, punishing professionals for engaging in public discourse, rather than focusing on actual breaches of professional conduct.” The action against Peterson sets a dangerous precedent; professionals are and will be coerced into silence to avoid repercussions from their governing bodies.
“We must resist the overreach of professional associations that seek to police the thoughts and words of their members. Our democracy depends on the free exchange of ideas, and it is imperative that we protect this right against any form of institutional suppression,” Van Geyn warns.
To learn more, read the full paper here:
Christine Van Geyn is the litigation director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, a legal charity that advocates for fundamental freedoms through litigation and education.
For further information, media are invited to contact:
Dagny Pawlak-Loerchner
Senior Communications Officer
(613) 482-8327 x113
Dagny.pawlak-loerchner@macdonaldlaurier.ca
