Video Library

Diversity Minister Kamal Khera holds a news conference in Ottawa for the release of Canada’s first-ever action plan on combatting hate. She is joined by her parliamentary secretary Sameer Zuberi, as well as Dominic LeBlanc (public safety minister), Arif Virani (justice minister), Brian Bronfman (president of the Peace Network for Social Harmony), Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah (co-director of policy and advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights), and Amal Elsana Alh'jooj (founder and executive director of Promoting Leadership for Empowerment, Development and Justice).

On February 21, 2025, PLEDJ and the McGill University School of Social Work hosted a panel discussion on Combatting Hate Through Faith and Dialogue. This is third of our Solidarity Dialogues Webinar series, which shares discussions on topics relating to strengthening communities against polarization and division. We were honoured to bring together local faith leaders: - Reverend Arlen John Bonnar, St. James United Church - Rabbi Boris Dolin, Congregation Dorshei Emet - Imam Hassan Guilet The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Amal Elsana Alhjooj, Associate Professor at McGill’s School of Social Work and Founder of PLEDJ. The Solidarity Dialogues are made possible due to the generous support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. We hope you enjoy this discussion! Subscribe to the PLEDJ newsletter to learn about more webinars to come: https://pledj.org/subscribe

On December 9, 2024, Montreal City Mission and PLEDJ hosted a Solidarity Dialogues panel discussion during the annual Good Neighbour event, celebrating interfaith connection. The panel, titled Fostering Dialogue and Collaboration Across Communities, was moderated by Lela Savic, Founding Editor-in-Chief of La Converse, a community-powered bilingual media outlet. The panel featured distinguished speakers: - Amal Elsana Alhjooj, Founder of PLEDJ; - Brian Bronfman, Founder of the Peace Network for Social Harmony; - Patrice Brodeur, Associate Professor at the Université de Montréal and expert in interfaith dialogue. We hope you enjoy this compelling discussion! The Solidarity Dialogues series is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Stay tuned for more webinars—subscribe to the PLEDJ newsletter for updates.

On May 22, 2024, PLEDJ launched the Solidarity Dialogues initiative. We celebrated the launch of this transformative program in Montreal with a panel discussion among community leaders on the topic of approaching division with dialogue. We were honoured to have open the event: - Amal Elsana Alhjooj, founder of PLEDJ; - Brian Bronfman, founder of the Peace Network for Social Harmony; - Video introduction by Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General and founder of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation; - Neal Santamaria, Quebec Regional Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. The panel discussion, held in English and French, featured: - Moderation by Sophie Langlois, long-time journalist with Radio-Canada; - Dale Dione, Indigenous community leader and specialist in restorative justice; - Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, senior Rabbi at Temple Emmanu-El-Beth Shalom, author, and past president of the Montreal Board of Rabbis with a long history of interfaith bridge-building; - Imam Hassan Guillet, founding member of the “Table interreligieuse de concertation du Québec,” which builds bridges between communities of faith in Quebec; - Patrice Brodeur, Associate Professor at the Université de Montréal with extensive research experience in interfaith dialogue. The Solidarity Dialogues are made possible due to the generous support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Enjoy this webinar! Subscribe to the PLEDJ newsletter to learn about more webinars to come. https://pledj.org/subscribe

First Uploaded on: Dec 20, 2023 Recognizing the profound effect the events in the Middle East have had on our community, PLEDJ Executive Director, Dr. Amal Elsana, speaks at a press conference to publicize a joint Message of Solidarity from Civil Society, emphasizing shared values of respect, social harmony and freedom of expression, while rejecting hatred or self-expression that involves threats, intimidation or support of violence.