Human Rights Talks

Human Rights Talks: Interview with Dr. Kathrin Meyer, IHRA Secretary General

In this episode on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Nadia Trudel interviews Dr. Kathrin Meyer, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA unites governments and experts to strengthen, advance, and promote Holocaust education, remembrance, and research worldwide.

Tools and Resources:

IHRA Toolkit Against Holocaust Distortion 

Protect the Facts Campaign

Human Rights Talks: Oren Segal, Vice President of the Center on Extremism for Anti Defamation League

The Canadian Taskforce to Combat Online Antisemitism is a MIGS project aimed at analyzing current trends in online antisemitism, holocaust denial and distortion, and looking at ways we can build better Canadian resiliency to it while addressing what tech companies and other actors can do to tackle this issue. As part of the project, we are launching a series of podcast episodes. In this episode, MIGS student fellow Nadia Trudel interviews Oren Segal, Vice President of the Center on Extremism for Anti Defamation League.

To Make Us Slowly Disappear:The Chinese Government‘s Assault on the Uyghurs

The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights hosted a special event to mark the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and Prevention of this Crime.

The event was the official Canadian launch of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s new report and consisted of a presentation of the report’s findings and a discussion on the role of Canada in helping protect the Uyghur minority in China.

Speakers:

- Naomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

- Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University.

- Irwin Cotler, Founder and International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, former Attorney General of Canada and former Minister of Justice of Canada.

- Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief for The Globe and Mail and the host of CTV's "Question Period with The Globe and Mail's Robert Fife."

-  Nursiman Abdurashid, Uyghur activist.

Digital Authoritarianism Without Borders

As the illiberal use of technologies threatens to reshape the balance of power, MIGS is organizing a speaker series on digital authoritarianism. American and Canadian practitioners, researchers, and members of the private sector and civil society shine light on the strategies used by authoritarian states and discuss the pressing need for alliances between Canada, the U.S., and like-minded democratic countries.

This 4th event in the series focused on exporting digital authoritarianism. How is the export of technologies and tactics used by authoritarian states affecting democracy worldwide? Is digital authoritarianism becoming a governance model?

Speakers:

- Steven Feldstein, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

- Jessica Brandt, Policy Director for the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at the Brookings Institution

- Yinka Adegoke, Strategic Initiatives editor at Rest of World; former Africa editor for Quartz

- Noura Aljizawi, Researcher, CitizenLab

Moderator : Marie Lamensch, MIGS Project Coordinator

This virtual speaker series is part of MIGS' "Canada-U.S. Democracy and Human Rights Collaboration Initiative" funded by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.

What Can Be Done to Prevent New Atrocities in Afghanistan?

On 15 September, only a few days after the 20^th anniversary of the 11 September attacks, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) held a closed roundtable with the active participation of Members of Parliament (MP), human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, and other experts and academics. The roundtable explored actions that could be undertaken by the international community which could have an impact toward the prevention of atrocity crimes and improve, to the extent possible, the safety and security of Afghan civilians. 

A summary of the discussion is available here

The Great Firewall: China’s model of digital control

As the illiberal use of technologies threatens to reshape the balance of power, MIGS is organizing a speaker series on digital authoritarianism. American and Canadian practitioners, researchers, and members of the private sector and civil society shine light on the strategies used by authoritarian states and discuss the pressing need for alliances between Canada, the U.S., and like-minded democratic countries. This third event in the series will focus on digital authoritarianism in China.

Speakers:

- Paul Mozur, New York Times technology correspondent focused on the intersection of technology and geopolitics in Asia.

- Dr. Sheena Greitens, associate professor, LBJ School, and faculty fellow, Clements Center for National Security

- Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, Senior Fellow in the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa

- Ainikki Riikonen, Research Assistant for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)

Moderator: Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, MIGS

This virtual speaker series is part of MIGS' "Canada-U.S. Democracy and Human Rights Collaboration Initiative" funded by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.

Ethiopia and R2P

The Montreal Institute of Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS), in collaboration with United Tegaru Canada hosted a virtual discussion to shine light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis occurring in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region.

Speakers:

Allan Rock, President Emeritus of the University of Ottawa and Professor, Faculty of Law.

Nima Elbagir, award-winning international television correspondent, CNN

Mukesh Kapila, Professor (Emeritus) of Global Health & Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester

Tag Elkhazin, Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.

mModerator: Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies.

Report Launch - Canadian Women Leaders' Digital Defence Initiative

With support from the Department of Heritage’s Digital Citizens Contribution Program, MIGS launched the Canadian Women Leaders' Digital Defence Initiative in January 2021 to highlight online harassment of female journalists and politicians in Canada, and its impacts on democracy.

With the launch of the "Canadian Women Leaders' Digital Defence Initiative" report. we highlighted the problem on online abuse targeting Canadian women and recommendations on how to confront these online harms.

Speakers 

- Dr. Julie Posetti – Global Director of Research, International Center for Journalists

- Lucina Di Meco - Co-Founder - #ShePersisted

- Kristina Wilfore, Co-founder - #ShePersisted

Read the report 

 

The Role of Parliamentarians in Atrocity Prevention

Atrocity crimes are considered to be the most serious crimes against humanity. Its status as an international crime is based on the belief that the acts associated with it affect the dignity of human beings. This discussion brings together three high-level experts to reflect, and review current thinking on atrocity prevention approaches. 

• Alice Nderitu, UN Secretary General's Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide
• Lt-General Roméo Dallaire, former Canadian Senator, MIGS Distinguished Senior Fellow.
• David Donat Cattin, Secretary-General, Parliamentarians for Global Action

Moderated by Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies 

 

Human Rights Talks: Parlons désinformation sur la Covid-19 avec Olivier "Le Pharmachien"

Dans le cadre de la Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19, le MIGS a parlé avec Olivier Bernard, mieux connu sous le pseudonyme du "Pharmachien". Olivier un pharmacien du Québec et vulgarisateur scientifique qui se passionne pour la science et les mythes médicaux.

La Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19 est un projet financé par Patrimoine Canada.