Jordan Peterson Blames Justin Trudeau For Dad Not Attending U.S. Wedding

Jordan Peterson has been criticized, after he blamed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his dad not flying to California for a family wedding.

The outspoken psychologist and social media personality took to Twitter over the weekend to reveal that he was in the U.S., though he expressed that Trudeau was somehow at fault for his father's absence from the celebratory occasion.

Tagging Trudeau directly in his message, Peterson slammed the Canadian premier for what he deemed an "unconstitutional and vindictive travel ban."

As things currently stand, foreign nationals wanting to enter Canada are required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Canadian citizens are permitted to enter the country as long as they are not showing any COVID symptoms.

However, while there are restrictions in place on Canada's part for entry, those traveling out of the country are generally under the rules of their destination, which in the case of California would be U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Expressing disgust to his 2.7 million followers, Peterson wrote: "I'm at my daughter's wedding in California. I will never forget [sic] @justintrudeau that my father is not here because of your utterly unconscionable, unconstitutional and vindictive travel ban."

The comment sparked a strong reaction on the micro-blogging platform, with a number of people pointing out that Canada does not oversee who enters the U.S.

"The Canadian Prime Minister is not responsible for US border policy," said one person in a tweet that received almost 10,000 likes. "I can't believe I have to say this."

While a number of detractors mocked and criticized Peterson, others spoke out in defense of his comment, pointing out that people are not allowed to board certain modes of public transport if they are not vaccinated against COVID.

"The travel restriction is inability to get onto a plane (or train, or bus) because of a Canadian federal mandate," wrote one of Peterson's supporters.

The Canadian government's website states as of October 30, 2021, air passengers "departing from Canadian airports, travellers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains, and travellers on non-essential passenger vessels on voyages of 24 hours or more, such as cruise ships, will need to be vaccinated."

The passengers required to show proof of vaccination are those "flying on domestic, transborder or international flights departing from airports in Canada."

Still, among the pile-on of criticisms, some questioned why the wedding was held in California given knowledge of travel restrictions, while others suggested that Peterson's father could have taken a long-distance drive into California.

Peterson's comment came days after he announced plans to quit Twitter, as the free-speech advocate complained about the "endless flood" of insults he receives on the platform.

He described how he recently stopped accessing the social media site for three weeks as an "experiment" and then found that his life "instantly" got worse once he started using it again.

It is unclear what insults the divisive figure known for controversial opinions is referring to, but the remarks came after he was criticized for his tweet calling plus-size model Yumi Nu's Sports Illustrated cover "not beautiful" and that "no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that."

In a series of tweets, Peterson explains that he will be "departing" Twitter once again and will soon write an article explaining further issues he has with the platform.

"I recently stopped accessing Twitter for three weeks as an experiment. I had some of my staff post video links etc. It was a genuine relief. I started to read & write more. I started using it again, a few days ago, and I would say that my life got worse again almost instantly," Peterson wrote.

"The endless flood of vicious [insults] is really not something that can be experienced anywhere else. I like to follow the people I know but I think the incentive structure of the platform makes it intrinsically and dangerously insane.

"So I told my staff to change my password, to keep me from temptation, and am departing once again. If I have something to say I'll write an article or make a video. If the issue is not important enough to justify that then perhaps it would be best to just let it go."

In another tweet, Peterson says he plans to write an article on the "technical reasons that Twitter is maddening," ending the post with "bye for now."

Despite his farewell message, Peterson continued to tweet in the hours and days that followed.