Ontario College of Psychologists Demands Social Media Retraining for Criticizing Trudeau
The Ontario College of Psychologists has demanded an individual submit themselves for mandatory social-media communication retraining after retweeting Pierre Poilievre and criticizing Justin Trudeau and his political allies - sparking debate over freedom of expression in Canada
Jan. 04, 2023 5:29AM
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In a shocking turn of events, the Ontario College of Psychologists (CPOntario) has demanded that an individual submit to mandatory social media communication retraining with their experts. The demand comes after the individual retweeted Pierre Poilievre and criticized Justin Trudeau and his political allies. The individual in question, who remains anonymous, was first notified by CPOntario on June 1st that they were under investigation for “professional misconduct” due to their online activity. On July 15th, the college released a statement demanding that the individual attend a “social media retraining program” with their experts. CPOntario did not provide details about what exactly constitutes professional misconduct in this case but said it was related to online activity such as tweeting or retweeting content from certain individuals or organizations. They also noted that this is not an isolated incident and other similar cases are currently being investigated by the college. This news has caused an uproar among many Canadians who feel that this is an attack on free speech and expression. Critics have argued that CPOntario should not be allowed to police people’s thoughts and opinions on social media platforms like Twitter. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has also weighed in on the issue, stating that “the right to freedom of expression includes the right to criticize government officials without fear of reprisal or censorship from state actors like CPOntario”. They further added that any attempt by CPOntario to limit someone’s ability to express themselves online would be a violation of their Charter rights. At this time, it is unclear how CPOntario will respond to these criticisms or if they will back down from their demands for social media retraining for criticizing Trudeau and his political allies. It remains to be seen how this story will unfold but one thing is certain – it has sparked a heated debate about free speech in Canada and whether or not people should be able to express themselves freely online without fear of retribution from state actors like CPOntario.