Frederick John Packer – The Conversation

Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser speaks at a news conference about a new bill aimed to address hate crimes on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on September 2025. Does the bill go far enough in tackling Canada’s rising hate crime crisis? THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

October 20, 2025

From warning to reality: Canada’s escalating hate crisis demands action

Frederick John Packer, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Davut Akca, Lakehead University

Canadian policymakers need to take more action on hate crimes. Here are five actions that could make a difference.

The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is framed by leaves in Ottawa in August 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

April 1, 2025

Activists living in exile could strengthen Canada’s democracy — if given the right support

Philip Leech-Ngo, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Frederick John Packer, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa, and Nadia Abu-Zahra, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Activists-in-exile bring with them not only their personal stories and attitudes of resilience, but also their expertise in governance, human rights and social justice.

Alexander Lapshin, centre, a Russian blogger detained by police in Belarus in December 2016, is escorted out of a plane in February 2017 by law enforcement agents in Baku, Azerbaijan after being extradited there by Belarus. He was later convicted of taking an unauthorized journalistic trip. (AP Photo)

October 23, 2024

Human rights advocate Alexander Lapshin: No place to go, but still fighting for global freedom

Frederick John Packer, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Philip Leech-Ngo, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Alexander Lapshin’s experiences being detained and tortured for allegedly insulting an authoritarian strongman highlights the dangers faced by activists even in seemingly secure environments.

Language policy in Canada suggests misunderstanding among government officials and the general public about language use, international language rights and their implications. (Shutterstock)

January 8, 2023

Supporting minority languages requires more than token gestures

Veaceslav Balan, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Frederick John Packer, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Canada’s population is more diverse than ever, with many different languages represented. Government policy must reflect that diversity and offer meaningful support to minority languages.

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