(Photo Courtesy of Xtra! Magazine)

See more on Slaw, Rob Salerno at Xtra! magazine, and a video clip with Colin D’Mello on CTV.

Photo and Video of Omar Ha-Redeye at Pride 2011 on CTV

University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Law Foundation of Ontario presented the third biennial symposium – Combating Hatred in the Twenty-first Century: Legal Remedies.
The Use of the Criminal Code to Combat Hate
Introductions & Overview
• Mark Sandler, Lawyer – Cooper & Sandler LLP, Barristers and Solicitors
Panel Discussion
• Acting Inspector Steve Irwin, Toronto Police Service
• Deputy Director Howard Leibovich, Crown Law Office – Criminal
Use of Civil Remedies to Combat Hate
Introductions & Overview
• Marvin Kurz, Lawyer – Dale Streiman & Kurz LLP
Debate: Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act
• Professor Richard Moon, Faculty of Law – University of Windsor
• Mark Freiman, Lawyer – Lerners LLP
A Menu of Innovative Remedies
• David Matas, Lawyer
• Professor Patrick Monahan, Vice President Academic & Provost –
York University
• Douglas Elliott, Lawyer – Roy Elliott O’Connor LLP

1:30 pm Fighting Hatred in Europe: A View from the Front Lines
(Colony Ballroom)
• Right Honourable Denis MacShane, MP – British Parliament
Concurrent Workshops
1. Hate on the Internet (Terrace Suite)
• Saleha Khan, Instructor – Ontario Police College
• Marvin Kurz, Lawyer – Dale Streiman & Kurz LLP
• Dr. Abbee Corb, Open Source Intelligence Specialist – Hate Crime Extremism Investigative Team

Campus Issues
• Professor Lorne Sossin, Faculty of Law – University of Toronto
• Julia Hanigsberg, General Counsel – Ryerson University
• Nouman Ashraf, Former Director of the University of Toronto’s
Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office
• Bram Freedman, Vice President, External Relations and
Secretary General – Concordia University
3. What do Human Rights Laws have to do with Hate?
• Raja Khouri, Commissioner – Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Raj Anand, Lawyer – WeirFoulds and Chair, Ontario Human Rights
Legal Support Centre
• Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel – Canadian Civil Liberties
Association
4. Sentencing for Hate Motivated Crime
• Mark Sandler, Lawyer – Cooper & Sandler LLP, Barristers and Solicitors
• Sandra Bacchus, Deputy Crown Attorney – Attorney General
• Julia Sandler, Assistant Crown Attorney – Attorney General

4:00 pm Voices of Experience
Moderator
• Justice Harry LaForme, Ontario Court of Appeal
Panelists
• The Honourable Irwin Cotler, M.P. for Mount Royal, Québec
• Zubeda Vahed, Senior Policy Advisor – Ministry of Education
• Reverend Dr. Brent Hawkes, Senior Pastor – Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
• The Honourable Zanana Akande, M.Ed., B.A

The theme of the conference was Individual Freedom and the Common Good – Defining Human Rights in a Free Society.

Speakers included:

• Alan Borovoy, Canadian Civil Liberties Association
• Albert Koehl, Ecojustice
• David Frum, American Enterprise Institute
• Elizabeth Brubaker, Executive Director, Energy Probe Research Foundation
• Eugene Meehan, Q.C., Lang Michener LLP, Ottawa
• Eugene Meyer, President, Federalist Society
• Kent Roach, University of Toronto Law School
• Philippe Dufresne, Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Randy Barnett, Georgetown University
• Ran Hirschl, author of Towards Juristocracy
• Ramani Nadarajah, Canadian Environmental Law Association
• Tom Isaac, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Vancouver

Although some valid concerns were noted in advance, overall the conference provided a reasonable debate over the issues.  Topics covered by the panels included:

Aboriginal Rights in the 21st Century: can equality and aboriginality be reconciled?
Protecting the environment through private property rights: is legislation the best solution?
Freedom of expression under attack: do human rights need to be redefined?
Judicial Activism in Canada: Myth or Reality?

The Canadian Constitution Federation Conference has previously come under criticism for advancing a far-right agenda in the realm of health care services.  Their current characterization of administrative tribunals as “Kangaroo Courts” is questionable under the Code of Ethics of many Canadian jurisdictions, and is not likely to create an open climate for serious review of concerns that may be raised.

A number of law students were also in attendance, including Daniel Simard of Law is Cool, Shane D’Souza, Ori Reuben, Jamil Sawani, Mohamed Al-Ghamdi, and many others.