Prominent psychologist and public speaker Jordan Peterson says that with his move to the United States, he can speak up for his home country by leveraging his connections within Donald Trump’s administration.
“I can do a lot of good for Canada in the United States,” Peterson told The Epoch Times’ Jan Jekielek on Jan. 19 at Turning Point USA’s Inaugural-Eve Ball celebrating the arrival of the new administration.
“I know a lot of the people who are senior in the administration, and I can be an effective voice for Canadians in that regard,” he said.
The University of Toronto psychology professor emeritus announced his decision to move south of the border last month on his daughter Mikhaila Peterson’s podcast. He cited several reasons, the primary one being his desire to work together to establish the Peterson Academy, an online university.
Jordan Peterson, Canadian clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, explains the communist roots of postmodernism during an interview with The Epoch Times on June 15, 2018. The Epoch Times
Peterson, who now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, also said being in Canada was “a pain,” particularly in Toronto, where he encountered “unproductive opposition” from colleagues amid efforts to strip him of his clinical psychologist’s licence.
Known for his outspoken defence of free speech, Peterson has faced disciplinary action from the College of Psychologists and Behavioural Analysts of Ontario over his online comments and a podcast interview. In response to public complaints, the college ordered him in 2022 to undergo social media training or risk losing his licence.
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Peterson filed for a judicial review of the college’s decision, arguing that his free speech rights were being infringed upon. However, the Ontario Divisional Court dismissed the application in 2023. He then took the matter to the Ontario Court of Appeal, which dismissed the case last January. In an Aug. 8 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada also declined to hear Peterson’s appeal.
‘Start of a Boom’
Peterson expressed the hope that Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president on Jan. 20 will mark the beginning of a cultural shift.
“I hope that it’ll be the start of a boom the likes of which have not been seen since the 1990s and the revolution of the internet. That’s my suspicion and my hope,” he said when asked about his expectations for Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Noting that “the cultural tide has shifted,” Peterson added that those who benefit from this change must have the wisdom to focus on the issues at hand, rather than engaging in “petty revenge and foolish politics.”
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool
All attention in Canada is currently on Trump’s threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, a move Peterson described as part of the president’s broader strategy to renegotiate international agreements.
“He’s doing what he usually does, which is to push hard for an advantage and see what happens, and to establish an anchor that’s beyond even what he might hope to achieve, so that he can achieve half of that,” Peterson said.
Trump cited border security concerns, including the flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigrants entering the United States from Canada, as reasons for the proposed tariffs. In response, Canada introduced a series of measures, including a $1.3 billion fund to strengthen border security. The funding will provide new resources and equipment to law enforcement agencies to better detect and deter illicit drugs at the border.
Meanwhile, provincial leaders met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet last week to discuss potential retaliatory tariffs if Trump moves forward with his plan.
Trump didn’t impose any tariffs on his first day in office, instead directing the federal agencies to investigate if there are unfair trade practices with any country, and to make recommendations.
‘Trial Balloons’
Peterson called other Trump propositions, such as making Canada the 51st state and seizing control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, “trial balloons.”
“He likes to stir the pot, and he’s doing that very effectively at the moment in relation to Canada—and Greenland and Panama and Mexico,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada become a U.S. state, first raising the idea during a November meeting in Mar-a-Lago with Trudeau.
As the comments were repeated by Trump, more federal and provincial politicians spoke out against the idea while affirming Canadian sovereignty.
Canadian and American flags are pictured at the Peace Arch Historical State Park at the Canada-U.S. border in Blaine, Washington, on Aug. 9, 2021. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images
Peterson suggested that the pressure on Canada could have a positive impact in terms of fostering a sense of nationalism and unity in rejecting the idea, while noting that “Canada has some serious structural problems.”
He added that Americans are “clearly not the enemy of Canadians.”
“I suppose one of the underlying realities motivating Trump is the fact that Canada and the U.S. should be bound together very tightly economically, especially with regard to energy and energy security. That could be negotiated in a way that would be eminently beneficial to both countries. So we’ll hope for the best,” he said.
TikTok
In the interview, Peterson also commented on the issue of free speech, particularly in the context of social media platform TikTok, which faced a ban in the United States under former President Joe Biden’s administration due to national security concerns related to the platform’s links to the Chinese communist regime.
“We’re fools when it comes to communist China,” Peterson said. “It’s not like we want the government attending to which apps we use on our phones, but there’s a legitimate security threat from the Chinese communists and there’s genuine infiltration with regard to TikTok.”
He further highlighted TikTok’s harms to American users, particularly its use in the pathologization of young women and the distortion of information.
“I’m no fan of TikTok,” he said.
Biden, who signed a bill to impose the ban in April, had said he would leave the issue to his successor. TikTok temporarily shut down after the ban took effect on Jan. 19, but appeared to be restoring service just hours after Trump pledged that same day to sign an executive order once in office, granting a 90-day reprieve before the prohibition takes effect.
