The contributions of Susheel Gupta (BA ’93 History) to human rights and justice in Canada extend from courtrooms to high school classrooms to individuals and their families, and arguably, into cyber space.
While his primary role is as Senior Strategic Advisor on National Security with the RCMP, he holds numerous other roles, both chosen and thrust upon him. Among the latter, Gupta is a survivor of terrorism. When he was just 12 years old, his mother was murdered in the Air India 182 bombing. Such personal tragedy could easily lead to a lifetime of struggle; yet, as he grew up, Gupta channeled his experience into a passion for advancing justice and victim rights. For the past 8 years, he was Vice-Chairperson of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, an arm of the legal system that judges cases involving human rights issues federally.
He previously worked for the Department of Justice War Crimes Section, and was Special Advisor to the President and CEO at the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. As well, Gupta served as co-chair of the Kanishka Project, which oversaw federal research grants to strengthen and protect Canada with counter-terrorism and related measures. For years, Gupta has been a spokesperson for the Air India Victims’ Families Association. In his early career, he played a pioneering role in the federal government’s response to cybercrime.
In 2016, the Ontario Bar Association awarded him with its prestigious President’s Award for his dedication to the rights of victims of crime and significant contributions to the advancement of justice in Ontario. Beyond his professional sphere, Gupta contributes expertise to community organizations and regularly speaks with high school and university students about how they can support justice and human rights.
Susheel Gupta receives his award from the newly installed University of Waterloo chancellor Dominic Barton.
Q & A
What drives your work in human rights and justice today?
We have become global citizens. I see that issues and conflicts in other parts of the world can have an effect on our lives here. For instance, we accept refugees into this country because of conflicts elsewhere, which is wonderful. I see how things around the world are changing — politics, problems arising from technology and privacy. I have young daughters and I hope I can make a positive impact for their world in the future.
Tell us a bit about your work with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is a quasi-judicial court, which means we must judge the facts in cases of alleged discrimination. Was there discrimination? What remedies are available? What rules or laws need to change? I judged cases from across the country on grounds of age, gender, sexual orientation, and so on. In that role, I had an opportunity to have an impact on the lives of many individuals.
How can young people help to advance human rights?
I speak to young people about the importance of doing what they enjoy. They need to ask themselves, “What issues are important to me? Is it childcare access? Is it people with AIDS? Is it the environment?” I tell students to follow and getinvolved with what’s important to them. They will be happier, and they will do better. When I’ve had to make hiring decisions, I’m quickly able to see what people are passionate about. Most important for me is that they are passionate.
I want students to know that they can have an impact on people’s lives in any number of ways that are all equally important. For instance, in my work with victims of crime, I meet people who may work on a confidential suicide line, and they may have saved a life. Then, I know people who draft laws around mental health on a very broad scale. To me, these two individuals are equally important in making a difference.
Can you tell us anything about your early work in cybersecurity?
I started my career as a prosecutor in the Department of Justice where we had a couple of significant cases that were firsts in the country involving illicit transactions over the internet. As the kid in the office who had some IT background, I was assigned the cases. I eventually wore the title Computer Crime Advisor, working on all types of interesting cases involving cybercrime. For instance, we talk about cyber bullying as a recent thing, but I was seeing it 18 years ago. It was very interesting and maybe a little before its time.
I look at artificial intelligence today, and I’m worried about bias built into that technology. Those of us working in law, policing, and security, we’re worried about that because we don’t want to be accused of being discriminatory because of inadvertently programmed bias. I can see where Arts students play a role in this. We have to think about working across the disciplines. Any Arts student, no matter what they’re studying, has a role to play in tech companies – they have a huge role to play.
What stands out about your undergraduate experience majoring in history at Waterloo?
I learned my core skills in my undergraduate program. In history you are not just learning dates and what happened, you’re learning why things happened. I apply these questions now: “Why is the government not doing a better job in a particular situation?” Well, let’s look at where they’ve been and why they may be resistant to change. Everyone has a story. Our governments have a story. So, trying to understand these stories is a step toward trying to improve a situation and bring about change. These questions are crucial for my social justice work.
