Jordan Peterson event in Ottawa that coalition tried to ban goes off without trouble

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Despite calls for cancellation and boycott, it went off without a hitch.

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Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre hosted Jordan Peterson in front of a near-capacity crowd Monday evening on the first Canadian stop on his North American speaking tour — a much-anticipated talk that garnered attention among the psychologist’s fans and detractors.

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But despite a number of attempts to convince organizers and the venue to cancel the show, the anticipated crowds protesting Peterson’s talk were nowhere to be seen.

“Thirty-six organizations (calling for the talk’s cancellation,) and not one protestor,” Peterson said at the top of the talk, which was met by roars from the nearly full hockey arena.

Indeed, only ticket holders and a single person waving a flag critical of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could be seen in front of the venue leading up to curtain time.

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A coalition of community groups, including Ottawa city councillor Ariel Troster, tried to convince officials to cancel the talk.

“Ottawa has seen a rise in hate against 2SLGBTQ+ people in recent years,” Troster wrote in an open letter to Canadian Tire Centre management, the Ottawa Senators and Creative Arts Agency, the firm handling publicity for Peterson’s tour.

“Jordan Peterson’s event undermines the work that the city and community organizations are doing to create stronger and more equitable communities.”

Earlier this month, the Ottawa Citizen reported groups including Horizon Ottawa, the Council for Canadians, and the Centretown Community Health Centre were likewise opposed to Peterson’s talk. 

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“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,” read their own open letter signed by the concerned organizations.

“Peterson has also advocated in favour of ideas like “enforced monogamy” that encourage the superiority of men over women and insinuates that they should be treated as sexual objects instead of equals.”

Launched last year to promote Peterson’s new book Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, the North American leg of Peterson’s world tour last week with a series of shows in southern California.

Monday night’s program started with a performance by Peterson’s son Julian accompanying himself on guitar, and brief remarks by his wife Tammy.

Peterson speaks in London, Ont. on Tuesday, followed by a talk in Hamilton before returning to the United States.

• Email: bpassifiume@postmedia.com | Twitter: bryanpassifiume