Countering Antisemitism

Stephen Camp retired as a staff sergeant after 30 years with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS). He co-created the EPS Hate Crimes Unit and the Chief’s Advisory Committee, investigating hate crimes and hate propaganda offences and was involved in long-term hate investigations involving specialized techniques. These developments resulted in the EPS winning the International Association of Chiefs of Police Civil Rights Award. Working on his Masters in Justice Studies, he is a hate crime researcher and consultant for police, government, academia, and civil society organizations and has advocated for an amendment to the Canadian Criminal Code to include a standalone hate crime section.

Jacqueline Edwards is President of the Association of Black Law Enforcers (A.B.L.E.), the first woman to lead the organization. A.B.L.E. combats anti-Black racism within law enforcement, providing support and mentorship for its members and consulting with governmental and law enforcement agencies to formulate policies, initiatives, and legislation. Jacqueline is a veteran with the Correctional Service of Canada, serving in various positions at the institutional, regional, and national levels, promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity, embracing differences, and fostering good relations with diverse people and communities. In 2021, she received the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police’s President’s Award of Merit.

Akiva Geller has a bachelor's degree in criminology from Carleton University. He served in the Canadian Forces Reserve for 16 years, finishing his career as a Sergeant with the Reserve Military Police. Akiva deployed to Afghanistan in 2008-2009 where he was part of a team that mentored the Afghan Uniformed Police in the Panjwai region of Kandahar. In 2011, Akiva joined the Ottawa Police Service, spending much of his early career policing in Byward Market. He is now a Detective Constable in the Ottawa Police's Central District Investigations Section where he investigates various crimes in the Ottawa's city core.

Sheryl Saperia is currently the chief executive of Secure Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating terrorism and extremism by creating innovative and transformative laws, policies, and alliances that strengthen Canada’s national security and democracy.

Sheryl Saperia has held leadership positions in public policy, advocacy, philanthropy, and government relations. Her educational qualifications include a law degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters of Science in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she studied issues relating to political violence, terrorism, and homegrown radicalization.

One of her proudest achievements was drafting and successfully lobbying for federal legislation in Canada that allows victims of terrorism and their families to launch civil lawsuits against local and state sponsors of terrorism.

Sheryl has been a recipient of several awards, including a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her ongoing advocacy on behalf of Canadian victims of terrorism, and for her advancement of sound public policy on terrorism issues in Canada.

She is an experienced public speaker and communicator, having testified as an expert witness before House of Commons and Senate committees, and published opinion pieces in newspapers across the country.

Ali Toghrol has served with the Ottawa Police Service for 16 years and is now the Sergeant of the Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime unit, for which he established policies and investigative guidelines. He has provided training to CSIS, City of Ottawa Transit Special Constables, campus security services, and social service providers. He represents the Ottawa Police in the Provincial Hate Crime and Extremism Investigation Team and is the Chair of the Training Committee for the Chiefs of Police National Roundtable Hate Crime Task Force, and he assists Canadian Police services with their hate crime Investigations.