Detoxing Democracy: Addressing Toxicity in Online Political Conversations

On August 18, 2022 the Samara Centre for Democracy hosted a webinar to share in-depth findings from the SAMbot 2021 Federal Election Report and turned to experts in law, human rights and journalism, to learn about how we can mitigate online toxicity to create safer spaces for democratic participation.

This discussion featured: 

• Sabreena Delhon, Samara Centre for Democracy
• Alex MacIsaac, Samara Centre for Democracy
• Amira Elghawaby, Canadian Race Relations Foundation
• Rosel Kim, Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
• Shari Graydon, Informed Opinions

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Highlights from the discussion are below. Visit our SAMbot page to learn more about the project.

“This research is important because it gives us a real snapshot of the types of attacks that people can experience online … It's something we're aware of. But when you see it broken down in the way that the SAMbot has done, it really quantifies the extent and the depth of the problem and how it may certainly scare people from feeling comfortable participating.” — Amira Elghawaby

“Our democracy depends on being able to participate without fear and to express yourself without fearing for your life.” — Rosel Kim 

“Online hate is real life. If you're a journalist, an advocate, a politician, that is fundamental to your ability to communicate with the people in the audience who are needing news or information.” — Shari Graydon