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Police-reported hate crimes in 2023 increased by more than 30 percent from the previous year, according to Statistics Canada. The actual number of hate crimes is even higher given most go unreported by victims, according to federal data. What strategies will support more reporting, investigation, effective response and prevention of hate crimes in Canada?
This webcast will bring leaders from the community, hate crime units and anti-racism organizations together to explore systemic barriers to victim reporting, police response and investigation thresholds. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of hate crimes, along with potential solutions.
Samya Hasan, Executive Director
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
Mariam Musse, Policy and Research Analyst, Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime.
Bernie Farber, Founding Chair, Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Craig Upshaw, H.E.D.I. Consultants, Detective Constable (Retired), Halifax Regional Police
Ian Bailey, Staff Reporter,
The Globe and Mail, Ottawa Bureau (Moderator)
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is a federal Crown corporation mandated to raise public awareness of the causes and manifestations of racism in Canada. We work to strengthen the social fabric of our society by supporting, enabling and convening community groups and organizations through our grants, services and network of public, research and community partners.
Learn more at https://crrf-fcrr.ca/
Samya has been working with the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians since 2015 and has been the Executive Director since 2017. Through her role at CASSA, Samya sits on various advisory bodies including the Coalition Against Anti-Asian Racism Canada, Ontario Provincial Police Hate Crime Advisory, Peel Provincial Police Hate Crime Advisory, Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change Steering Committee, Toronto Non-Profit Network Steering Committee, and various academic and research advisory groups.
Samya received recognition from the Toronto Metropolitan University in 2020 for her work on civic engagement as their “Democracy Superhero”. Samya was also selected as CivicAction’s “DiverCity Fellow” for 2020-2021.
Prior to her employment at CASSA, Samya worked at the Affordable Housing Office at the City of Toronto as a Research Associate and Policy Consultant. During her time at the Affordable Housing Office, she worked on various housing-related portfolios supporting low-income and marginalized communities including Toronto Community Housing, and Affordable Homeownership. As a Toronto Urban Fellow for the City of Toronto, Samya worked at the Municipal Licensing and Standards division, conducting by-law reviews of business industries in Toronto.
Samya attained her Master of Public Policy degree and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Toronto. She is currently enrolled in a second Masters program in Islamic Studies.
Mr. Watts was the interim Executive Director of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined and made recommendations regarding the Indian Residential School era and its legacy. He has served as Chief of Staff to two National Chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations. In these positions, he helped negotiate the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, then the largest class-action settlement in Canada’s history, and played a key role in historic budget allocations and the passage of Bills C-91 and 92 in 2019. His record of public service also includes positions as an Assistant Deputy Minister for the Government of Canada and as a Senior Executive in Ontario.
Mr. Robert (Bob) Watts is the former Vice-President of Indigenous Relations and Strategic Programs at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization and a much sought-after expert in Indigenous policy, negotiations, training, and conflict resolution.
Mr. Watts is an Adjunct Professor and Distinguished Fellow at Queen’s University, where he developed one of Canada’s first graduate-level courses on Reconciliation. Mr. Watts is a member of Queen’s University’s Board of Trustees, the Consensus Building Institute, and the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council. He is the founding Chair of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and Chair of Reconciliation Canada. He is a recipient of the Indspire Award for Public Service and recently received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from McMaster University. He holds a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard University.
Mr. Watts is from the Mohawk and Ojibway Nations and resides at Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. He carries and honours his Ojibway spirit name, Kinoozishingwak (Tall Pine), and is a member of the Bear Clan.
Mariam Musse is a Policy Analyst and Researcher at the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime. She led and contributed to several key initiatives aimed at supporting and empowering victims and survivors of crime, including the OFOVC’s special report, Strengthening Access to Justice for Victims of Hate Crime in Canada.
With a strong commitment to social justice, Mariam’s work focuses on strengthening victims’ rights, addressing systemic inequities, and improving access to justice for victims of crime. She has also worked on community-based initiatives supporting victims of hate-motivated violence, fostering partnerships with community organizations and law enforcement to enhance reporting mechanisms and victim services.
Ian Bailey is a reporter with The Globe and Mail’s Ottawa Bureau. This is his latest assignment in a journalism career that has taken him across Canada, from a posting as the St. John’s correspondent for The Canadian Press, through CP assignment’s in Toronto and Vancouver. Also in Vancouver, he reported for The National Post and the Province, where he covered federal and provincial politics.
Ian joined The Globe and Mail in 2007, covering politics, crime, the B.C. film and TV production sector, and a range of other stories while based in the Vancouver Bureau. His West Coast reporting included the Surrey Six murders, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and the 2011 Stanley Cup Riot.
Born in the U.K. and raised in the Toronto area, Ian graduated from York University and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Mohammed Hashim is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and has worked as a human rights advocate in Canada for the past two decades.
He has dedicated his career to supporting equity, inclusion, and community empowerment, and has contributed to various legislative and policy agendas to prevent and address racism and hate in Canada.
As CEO of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Mohammed leads the national Hate Crimes Taskforce with the RCMP to better understand the systemic challenges and gaps in addressing hate crimes and incidents in Canada, to support communities, and to equip policing services to prevent, investigate and support prosecutions related to hate crimes.
Acknowledged as one of Canada’s most accomplished NGO CEOs, Bernie M. Farber’s career spans more than a quarter century focused on human rights, anti-racism, pluralism and inter-ethnic/faith/race relations. His efforts have been documented in numerous Canadian Human Rights publications, books, newspapers and magazines. His work has also been cited for its expertise in a number of academic publications. Mr. Farber has successfully run large NGO’s and Foundations such as Canadian Jewish Congress, the Paloma Foundation and he is recently retired as Executive Director of the Mosaic Institute.
Today, Mr. Farber is a human rights consultant, newspaper columnist and social justice advocate. He has received numerous awards for his civil rights work including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal, Government of Canada 125 Commemorative medal and the Ontario Association of Chief’s of Police Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication to Policing in the province of Ontario amongst others."
Craig Upshaw is a retired member of Halifax Regional Police. Craig established the Hate Crimes Unit for the Halifax police and investigative guidelines for the Halifax Police Service. He and his team was awarded the CAO award of excellence for the creation of the Hate Crime Unit. He previously was the Equity and Diversity Officer for Halifax Regional Police where he formed and maintains positive relationships with various ethnic, cultural, religious and LGBTQ2S+ communities in Nova Scotia. He started his career with Halifax Regional Police in 2001 and has worked in the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division where he served in a variety of units and sections such as Criminal Intelligence Unit, Drug Section, Cold Case, General Investigative Section and Hate Crimes Unit.
Craig Upshaw investigated over 500 Hate related matters since the unit was created and provided assistance on Hate Investigations and created the Community Reassurance protocol. He also provided training to all sworn members, civilian members and Victim services at Halifax Regional Police Craig also served on the Hate Crime Task Force committee through the Canadian Race Relation Federation, was part of the (HCEIT) Hate Crime Extremist Investigative Team, (AHCIG) Alberta Hate Crime Investigative Group and sat on CACP CVE/IMVE extremist subcommittee. He still teaches Hate Crime Investigations, Community Engagement and Reassurance and is involved in numerous speaking engagements today.