MONTRÉAL, Nov. 14, 2018 /CNW/ - Supporting community partners working to counter radicalization to violence is a key priority for the Government of Canada.
Today Frank Baylis, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds-Dollard, on behalf of the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced $1.5 million over four years from the Community Resilience Fund to the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (CPN-PREV) at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) to strengthen intervention programs across Canada.
Set up by UQAM under the direction of Ghayda Hassan, professor in the Psychology Department and UNESCO Co-Chair on the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism, CPN-PREV works to improve Canadian counter radicalization to violence initiatives by strengthening practices and partnerships among frontline intervention teams across Canada. These teams can be made up of individuals and organizations from sectors such as health, social services, education, community, and policing working to understand, and intervene with, individuals potentially at high risk of radicalizing to violence. The funding will strengthen frontline capabilities in Canada by addressing the needs of practitioners, helping them learn from each other, and improving their access to resources and training.
The Community Resilience Fund is led by the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, which delivers on Public Safety Canada's commitment to prevent radicalization to violence.
Quotes
"A critical step to counter radicalization to violence in Canada is building effective and innovative intervention programming. When different sectors and communities come together to share knowledge and promote partnerships, Canada is better able to assess, prevent and intervene with individuals vulnerable to radicalization to violence. CPN-PREV is helping to bring Canadian leadership forward."
- Frank Baylis, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds-Dollard on behalf of Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
"On behalf of the UQAM administration and its researchers, but also on behalf of people concerned by these major issues, I would like to sincerely thank Public Safety Canada for this invaluable support. I would also like to thank Professor Hassan for creating this network, which illustrates not only how research at UQAM distinguishes itself in areas where societal needs are critical, but also its ability to unite around the shared objectives of partners with different, yet complementary, fields of expertise."
- Catherine Mounier, Vice-President of Research, UQAM
"Social polarization and violent and hateful radicalization are problems that pose a serious threat to solidarity and social harmony. They affect every aspect of Canadian society and require a systemic response and solid cross-sector partnership. The Community Resilience Fund's contribution to CPN-PREV will promote excellence in this area by relying on evidence-based practices, all while ensuring cross-sector collaboration, as well as knowledge mobilization among research, practice, community, and policy environments."
- Dr. Ghayda Hassan, Professor in the Psychology Department at UQAM, UNESCO Co-Chair on the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism, Director and Founder of CPN-PREV
Quick Facts
- The Canada Centre provides funding to organizations that work to counter radicalization to violence in Canada through the Community Resilience Fund. Projects under the Community Resilience Fund will improve Canada's ability to address violent radicalization at the local level by supporting intervention research and programming, information sharing, and outreach activities.
- The Community Resilience Fund had $2.4 million in funds for existing and new projects in 2017-2018 and $4.4 million in 2018-19. For 2019-20 and beyond, this fund will have $7 million available each year for existing and new projects.
- Recently, the Canada Centre released a What We Heard report on the results of its public consultation on countering radicalization to violence. The Government believes it is important for Canadians to be informed and participate in discussions on this important issue.
- Research has shown that the best solutions for addressing radicalization to violence often come from the community-level, which is where the Canada Centre focusses much of its efforts.
Associated Links
- Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence
- Community Resilience Fund
- Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence
- Ipsos What We Heard Report
SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
Scott Bardsley, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-998-5681, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]; Jenny Desrochers, Director, Media Relations, UQAM, 514 987-3000, extension 7730, [email protected]
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