In this episode, zeina ismail-allouche welcomes Mackenzie Hart, an emerging researcher whose personal journey and on-the-ground experience shape a thoughtful reflection on the newest frontiers of violent extremism and the wellbeing of those who study it.

Recorded before the passing of Garth Davies and shared in his memory, this conversation is connected to his pioneering work on nihilistic extremism, and to the very foundations of CANSES, where connection and mutual support are not peripheral to research, but vital to sustaining it.

Together, they explore: 

• How the gap between the field and research can be bridged, by grounding research in its real impact on the ground.
• The overlooked toll of studying PVE — desensitization, isolation, and the loss of real-time connection — and why building communities of practice is essential.
• A conceptualization of nihilistic violent extremism that extends Garth’s reflections from our last episode, diving into why youth are increasingly preyed upon.

An early-career researcher immersed in difficult content, Mackenzie Hart shares where she finds the light.

It is with profound sadness that we share this episode in memory of Garth Davies, who tragically passed away in March 2026. With the blessing of his loved ones, we have chosen to publish this conversation to honour his memory and legacy, and to share the depth of his passion for his work in the prevention field.

Garth was an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Director of the Canadian Network for Research on Security, Extremism, and Society (CANSES).

For over 25 years, he studied and wrote about terrorism, advising national security agencies, briefing the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team ("E" Division), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and Public Safety Canada, and testifying before the Canadian Parliament and the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. He was also a founding member, and later Director, of the Institute on Violence, Terrorism and Security at SFU.

Alongside his thorough work across many fields, Garth inspired hundreds of students and equipped a generation of researchers with the methodological tools to pursue their work with purpose. He helped policymakers and practitioners in the field engage more closely with the communities they served, with the aim of opening them to the realities and the needs of those communities.

In this episode, Garth shared, with humility, clarity, and care, an important reflection on:

• CANSES’s vision for the foundation of a network;
• Nihilistic extremism, how it differs from ideologically driven forms of violence, the challenges it presents, and its targeting of young people online;
• And what may be needed in policy and prevention, by embracing the generational work of rebuilding social narratives.

Garth Davies’s message of hope in the closing minutes of the episode reflects how his legacy will live on in the field that he helped shape, and in the people he inspired throughout the years. He believed, strongly, that we could find our way back to one another as a society. CPN-PREV shares this conversation in that same belief, and with the hope of carrying his voice forward.

In this episode, Zeina Ismail-Allouche is joined by Audrey Gagnon, Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, for a thoughtful conversation about studying the far right from within one’s own community, as well as the ethical responsibilities that come with it. Hear them discuss:

• How the 2015 refugee crisis became a turning point that revealed the mainstreaming of far-right ideas in Canada and Quebec.
• The role of national identity, conspiracy theories, and online narratives in driving exclusion, hostility, and the risk of violent action.
• The overlooked challenges facing researchers in extremism studies — from repetitive exposure to violent ideologies to online harassment — and why protecting researcher well-being is essential to sustaining the field.

Grounded in her own positionality as a researcher studying movements from within her community, Dr. Gagnon shares how personal journey and professional rigour intertwine — and why setting limits, understanding one’s identity, and protecting researcher well-being are not signs of weakness, but of wisdom. A personal and necessary conversation on how preparedness and self-knowledge can sustain the field for generations to come.

Music Credit: Rustic Ballad by Alexander Kakarada

zeina ismail-allouche sits down with Melanie Bania, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities (CCFSC), to discuss what it truly means to build safer communities. Not through enforcement alone, but through prevention, equity, and authentic human connection. Listen to them explore:

• CCFSC’s mandate and how it looks at safety from a balanced and intersectoral perspective of incorporating prevention, intervention, and local support
• The PEER approach — Prevention, Equity, Engagement, and Relationship — and how these foundational principles guide the Centre’s work on the ground.
• The importance of reconciling personal and professional engagement and why bringing your whole self to prevention work is a strength.

From the intergenerational trauma of a Polish immigrant family to frontline work in substance abuse and justice-involved populations, Melanie shares how her own journey shaped a career devoted to prevention. Inspired by Indigenous perspectives on seven-generation thinking and grounded in a belief that most people share core values, this episode is a hopeful and honest reflection on what keeps us moving forward in difficult times. Find out more about CCFSC at https://ccfsc-cccs.ca/

Music Credit: Rustic Ballad by Alexander Kakarada

zeina ismail-allouche welcomes Amarnath Amarasingam for an open and enthralling discussion about what it means to research violent extremism from the inside.

Listen to:

• How Dr. Amarasingam’s own refugee history fleeing civil war in Sri Lanka, and his positionality as a person of color, opened unexpected doors to fieldwork with active foreign fighters in Syria.
• The complex and deeply personal motivations that drove Westerners from Canada, the UK and beyond to join foreign militant groups.
• How Canada’s prevention and intervention landscape has matured over the past decade, and why a law-enforcement-only response is no longer sufficient.

From real-time interviews with fighters on the ground to twenty-four-hour conversations that could end without warning, Dr. Amarasingam reminds us that fieldwork and personal narratives offer something that data cannot — context, nuance, and humanity. A powerful reflection on the importance of sustained, well-funded prevention infrastructure across Canada.

Music Credit: Rustic Ballad by Alexander Kakarada

In this foundational episode, Ghayda Hassan sits down with Robert Burley, Executive Director of the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, and Nicole Fournier-Sylvester, Acting Manager of Engagement, for an in-depth conversation on the Centre’s mandate, priorities, and role within the Government of Canada’s broader strategy to prevent radicalization to violence.

Together, they discuss:

• What the Canada Centre is and why it was created.
• How the Government of Canada approaches the prevention of radicalization to violence at the national level.
• How the Canada Centre contributes to and collaborates within the global prevention landscape.

This episode provides a clear and accessible overview of how prevention efforts are structured in Canada, from community engagement to international coordination. CPN-PREV invites their listeners to directly visit the Canada Centre website at https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/bt/cc/

Music Credit: Rustic Ballad by Alexander Kakarada

To open our third season, Ghayda Hassan is joined by Louis Audet-Gosselin and Marc-André Argentino, Senior Research Advisors at the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, for a timely and forward-looking conversation on research, policy development, and the evolving landscape of preventing radicalization to violence.

Together, they explore:

• How research conducted at the Canada Centre informs national prevention strategies and supports practitioners and policymakers.
• The emerging trends and evolving dynamics shaping the landscape of radicalization to violence today.
• The ethical complexities of studying and responding to radicalization and violent extremism in polarized and high-risk environments.

From frontline intervention programs to cutting-edge research on digital radicalization, hybridized threats, and risks to democratic institutions, this episode offers an accessible and insightful look at where prevention efforts are headed.

Visit Canada Centre's website : https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/bt/cc/index-en.aspx

Music Credit : Rustic Ballad by Alexander Nakarada

For the final episode of this season featuring our international guests, Ghayda speaks with Arne Augustini, a deradicalization expert based in Berlin, Germany, at Grüner Vogel e.V. ("Green Bird").

Their conversation touches on:

• Why, when dealing with clients radicalized in the name of religion, it's behavioral change—not religious belief—that needs to be addressed;
• Working with returnees from war zones;
• The critical role of trust in tertiary prevention work.

Thank you for listening and sharing.

This episode marks the end of our second season—however, we’ll be back with a third one very soon. Stay tuned!

In this week's episode, tune in as Ghayda Hassan has an enriching conversation with Ray Finch, Director of Disability Services at New Zealand Health Group, about disability and violent extremism. Together, they explore:

- Who is considered a person living with a disability? ;

- The loneliness epidemic among disabled people ;

- How some disabled individuals may be especially vulnerable to online extremist grooming.

As always, thank you for listening!

This episode, Ghayda Hassan joins in conversation with Diana Miconi, professor of educational psychology at Université de Montréal and expert in youth social polarizations. Together, they dive into some pressing and complex questions:

• Are radical or activist youth really the ones most likely to support violence?
• What systemic factors drive young people toward violent acts?
• How can schools address growing social tensions and polarization among students?

Fresh off International Women's Day, this timely conversation between two brilliant women offers valuable insights into youth, violence prevention, activism, and the social forces shaping them today. Don’t miss it!