Summary Report – Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security Meeting – March 20, 2025

The Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security (CCRS) met virtually, on March 20, 2025. Officials from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Public Safety Canada, the Department of Justice, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canadian Heritage and Correctional Service Canada were in attendance.

African Canadian Experience (ACE) in the RCMP

RCMP officials presented on the African Canadian Experience Workshop, discussing its value and potential improvements for officers and public interactions. Officials emphasized the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in hiring practices within the RCMP, highlighting the effectiveness of hiring officers of the same race to address anti-black and discrimination issues.

They also shared that since the RCMP's apology to the African Nova Scotian's on September 7, 2024, significant progress has been made, with positive community response. The RCMP stated that empowering officers to engage in meaningful dialogue with the public is crucial.

Members raised concerns about lack of trust towards law enforcement, treatment of Black communities and outcomes of the workshop. Officials shared the importance of education and awareness related to DEI.

Members raised the issues of tracking officers' actions and collection of race-based statistics. The RCMP shared that they are creating a tracking system for officers' actions, including reporting how many people they stop and carding practices. The tracking system is being piloted in five cities across Canada.

Youth Radicalization Prevention and Countering Violence

The RCMP presented their National Youth Services Priorities, developed in 2015, which focussed on five categories: substance abuse, transportation safety, bullying and cyberbullying, radicalization, and violence. In 2021, Islamic extremism, school shootings and incel (gender-based) violence were included as young people are becoming more politically and ideologically fractured.

Members raised concerns about continued funding and support to address youth radicalization and on-line harm. Officials shared that the e Government of Canada is fostering partnerships both domestically and internationally, including with the US, Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia. Canadian foundations are also contributing to youth radicalization projects.

The strategy is shifting from international coordination to local implementation, particularly in Quebec, where school boards have had significant cuts to education. Outreach efforts include local RCMP officers visiting schools to inform school boards, parents and homeschooling associations about available resources.

The RCMP also shared their Radicalization Prevention Framework which includes: prevention and early intervention, fostering trust with youth and communities and knowledge transfer to educate young people to be tomorrow's leaders and innovators. Additionally, programs such as CIVICS was highlighted as being valuable for integrating youth voices into policy making.

The Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, Public Safety Canada highlighted their work on Building Resilient Communities to counter youth radicalization. Officials shared that recent investments have showed positive results. For instance, training provided to a French language school board underlined a growing demand for such programs. The Canada Centre remains open to making further connections, and intensifying their efforts to support educational programs.

National Forum for Combatting Antisemitism

Public Safety Canada provided an overview of the National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism they hosted in March 2025 with leaders from the Jewish community, law enforcement, provincial, territorial, and municipal leadership. The Forum provided a platform to identify challenges and develop strategies to effectively combat antisemitism while strengthening collective action in Canada. The Roundtable discussed the importance of bubble legislation to protect the Jewish community, especially for childcare and educational facilities.

Members emphasized the importance of promoting existing legislation and education while securing funding for initiatives like The Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP). SIP funding helped identify the most vulnerable areas to ensure equitable distribution of resources. Public Safety Canada also stated its continued commitment to addressing all forms of hate, including those based on religion and sexual orientation.

Public Safety Canada, along with federal, provincial and territorial governments and law enforcement endorsed a Statement of Intent and reaffirmed a national action commitment to address hate crimes that target the Jewish community through strengthened law enforcement and prosecution efforts to combat antisemitic violence.

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