The theme of this year’s event is “Accommodation and Adaptation – A Two Way Street.” Panelists will explore human rights provisions in legislation and practical realities of day-to-day life, whether it is turbans on motorbikes, music in schools or what one can wear in a swimming pool.
The panelists are:
- Alia Hogben (Moderator): Executive Director of CCMW, social Workers and Member of the Order of Canada
- Raj Anand: Former Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, lawyer, professor, arbitrator & mediator at WeirFoulds LLP
- Sukaina Dada: Founder & President of SMILE Canada – Support Services & Pediatric Occupational Therapist
- Ahmed Hussen: Member of Parliament for York South-Weston, lawyer and social activist
- Marilou McPhedran: Human rights lawyer, women’s rights activist & tenured professor
The performers for 2016 are:
- Impact aka. Kamal Akhtar: a rapper and spoken word artist from Mississauga. With a long standing interest in social justice issues, he gained popularity in the early 2000s by performing at anti-war demonstrations and interfaith gatherings throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
- Sakinah Hasib: an artist who uses her writing and voice to speak up for truth and justice. She is an activist, a beginner mixed media artist and drummer, a Recitation Therapist by trade and an avid community member and organizer