An Edmonton Journal article from 1977 reportedly shows a 14-year old Jordan Peterson coming within 13 votes of being elected the vice-president of the Alberta NDP. Dr. Jordan B. Peterson is today best known as being an outspoken critic of left-wing ideology. The March 14th newspaper article written by Damian Inwood shows a teenage Jordan Peterson crossing his arms in front of an NDP convention banner. “I won’t be happy until I’m elected prime minister” reads a caption underneath the photograph. Peterson confirmed in a 2017 interview that he had been involved in the left wing party for several years as a young man. “I was probably attracted by the essential idea of fairness, something like that. [I was] interested in policies that were designed to help ordinary people” said Jordan Peterson. However, at the age of 18 Peterson admitted he outgrew his former political leanings calling his former compatriots “resentful, just like social justice warriors”. “I stopped believing that the philosophy that was embodied in socialism was sufficient to redress the problems that I felt were paramount,” said Peterson. According to the Edmonton Journal Article, a young Jordan Peterson admits that his school librarian got him interested in politics by recommending him books by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley.

In 1977, Jordan Peterson (at age 14) came within 13 votes of being elected a vice-president of the Alberta NDP. pic.twitter.com/z7DgnFtepF — Paul Fairie (@paulisci) October 28, 2018

The librarian, Sandy Notley was the wife of Grant Notley, leader of the Alberta NDP from 1968 to 1984 and the mother of current Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Peterson was said to have spent a considerable amount of time at the Notley household in his youth. Had Jordan Peterson continued down the path of party politics, his life and fortunes would look much different today.