Seher Shafiq
Global Engagement Manager, Mozilla Foundation (non-profit behind Firefox)
civic engagement, policy, politics, federal politics, canadian politics, provincial politics, ontario politics, municipal politics, voting, elections, election campaigns, grassroots activism, immigration and refugees, responsible AI, ethical AI, artificial intelligence
Media
TVO's The Thread: The 2022 Ontario Election
The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka. Analysis on the 2022 Ontario election
Olivia Chow breaking race, gender barriers as newly elected Toronto mayor
Global News - Toronto, June 27, 2023Television
Olivia Chow's victory in the Toronto mayoral race not only marks a new chapter for her, but for the city as well. The new leader is setting precedents when it comes to gender, race and diversity. Brittany Rosen has more.
Ontario election: Did opinion polling discourage residents from voting?
Global News, June 17, 2022Television
URL: https://globalnews.ca/news/8928790/ontario-election-opinion-polling-commentators/
“I think it does have a psychological effect [on voters],” political commentator Seher Shafiq told Global News.
“It benefits the political parties to know where they are at. But in terms of the general public, I don’t see how it makes anyone more informed about the issues that they’re voting on .”
Ontario 2022 Election Day Analysis
CP24, June 2, 2022Television
More than a million Ontarians cast their ballot in advance polls
CP24, May 30, 2022Television
URL: https://beta.cp24.com/news/2022/5/30/1_5924151.html
Political consultant Seher Shafiq said this good early voter turnout shows people like having more time to cast their ballot.
“It’s definitely a best practice that we should continue for future elections because it’s working,” she told CP24 Monday morning.
Shafiq said the numbers released on Monday demonstrate a “lesson learned” in how to “engage voters." She noted that while convenience is likely a big factor, the fact that this provincial election seems to be “run of the mill” and “comparatively less dramatic” than previous ones might also be the reason why more than a million Ontario voters have already cast their ballot.
She did say that these early voting numbers may not necessarily reflect overall voter turnout, however.
Calls for political climate action grow ahead of Ontario election
Global News - Toronto, April 27, 2022Television
As the countdown to the provincial election begins, there are growing calls for candidates to make climate change a top priority.
German court finds former Syrian colonel guilty of war crimes
Global News - National, January 16, 2022Television
URL: https://globalnews.ca/video/8515913/german-court-finds-former-syrian-colonel-guilty-of-war-crimes
Media commentary on German verdict on Syrian crimes against humanity. A former Syrian colonel has begun serving a life-sentence for crimes against humanity. He was convicted for his role in supervising the torture, rape and murder of detained individuals suspected of being anti-Bashar al-Assad demonstrators. As Crystal Goomansingh reports, the German court is the first to acknowledge crimes committed by the regime.
Various generations weigh in on the federal election
CTV News, September 20, 2021Television
Al Jazeera - Canada election: Has Trudeau's gamble backfired?
Al Jazeera, September 16, 2021Television
URL: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-stream/2021/9/16/canada-election-has-trudeaus-gamble-backfired
TV appearance on Al Jazeera's AJStream, Sept 16, 2021
London attacks and impact of media and political rhetoric
CBC News, June 13, 2021Television
URL: https://twitter.com/heyitsseher/status/1404116488139780105
Engaging Disengaged Electors
The AgendaTelevision
As Toronto city council candidate applications close, why aren't people interested in running?
CBC Metro Morning, August 19, 2022Radio/Podcast
Seher Shafiq manages a program called Journeys to Active Citizenship, at North York Community House.
CBC Ontario Today, May 31, 2022Radio/Podcast
From vandalism to the heartwarming encouragement from a child. Candidates and election workers share their stories.
Radio 640AM - Toronto Today with Greg Brady
640AM Global News Radio, May 11, 2022Radio/Podcast
Ontario 2022 election analysis, commentary on Ontario Education Minister, Toronto Mayor and Return to Work Policies
When political candidates look like you: what Olivia Chow’s win means for women of colour
Getting more immigrants to run for political office means paving the way for active citizenship
Toronto Star, August 19, 2022Print
Op-ed reprinted several times across Canada, including in The Hill Times, one of Canada's leading politics publications.
From Funding Crisis to AI Misuse: Critical Digital Rights Challenges from RightsCon 2025
Montreal AI Ethics Institute, March 2, 2025Online
Don’t blame ‘culture’ for COVID-19 rates in South Asian communities
First Policy ResponseOnline
URL: https://policyresponse.ca/dont-blame-culture-for-covid-19-rates-in-south-asian-communities/
Fading Liberals must not forget youth diverse voters
Don’t underestimate the political power of Canada’s Muslim community
Ottawa’s new cap on refugee applications upsets sponsors
A vote — from anyone — is a terrible thing to waste
8 Muslim youth making an impact in Canada
8 Young Canadians on What Keeps Them From Voting
What you need to know about the 'meltdown of humanity' in Aleppo
ChatelaineOnline
How Canadians can help people in Aleppo
Voice messages from Aleppo haunt Syrian refugee in Canada
How Canadians can help the people of Aleppo
Biography
I'm a consultant, writer and speaker focused on political + civic engagement, elections, and more recently, ethical and responsible AI.
My political commentary has been featured in radio, print, and TV with CBC, TVO, Global News, CTV, CP24, Toronto Star, Al Jazeera, and more.
I have extensive experience visioning, operationalizing, and mobilizing communities for numerous high-impact civic campaigns across the country, with a special focus on elections.
This includes leading a Canada-wide project to co-design civic engagement programming for newcomers, leading Canada's first national non-partisan voter engagement campaign in 2019, and co-founding a national civic engagement organization for the Canadian-Muslim community in 2015
I currently work at Mozilla (the non-profit behind Firefox) where I manage a global program focused on trustworthy, responsible and ethical artificial intelligence (AI).
Recognition/Reconnaissance
CCMW Women Who Inspire Award 2019 | Professional
Awarded to a woman who demonstrates a commitment to improving the lives of others, a commitment to women’s equality, has participated in grassroots activism or demonstrated a commitment to civic engagement.