Montreal City Council adopted a motion of solidarity with the Palestinian people during a council meeting held Monday evening.
The motion, which included several amendments compared to the one initially presented by the opposition party, was adopted by 54 city councilors voting for and 6 against.
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Projet Montréal, the municipal party that forms the official opposition at City Hall, urged Montreal to recognize and denounce what it calls an apartheid regime in Palestine and the genocide being perpetrated there, as well as to express its solidarity with the Palestinians and other civilian victims of the conflict.
He also called on the city to suspend its institutional ties with the current Israeli government, its structures and its municipalities.
Minutes before the council adopted the motion, the ruling party, Ensemble Montréal, proposed its amendments, which were adopted according to the party line.
These amendments place greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion in Montreal and remove most of the allegations of genocide as well as calls to sever ties with Israel.
A “watered-down” motion
“We are extremely disappointed by these amendments. It’s very watered down, it’s typical. But we didn’t want to withdraw our motion. We left a mark, in essence. It was important,” said Ahuntsic-Cartierville councillor Nathalie Goulet, who presented the motion at the end of the city council meeting in front of city hall.
A crowd of demonstrators surrounded Goulet, cheering, thanking, and embracing her as she passed. One of them, however, expressed his displeasure, asking the city councilors to explain why they had voted in favor of a motion removing the term “genocide.”
During the debate on the adoption of the motion, the opposition confronted Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada about the city’s role in denouncing international conflicts.
Martinez Ferrada argued that it was not up to Montreal to denounce these conflicts, placing that responsibility on the federal government and advocating for unity within the city.
The interim leader of Projet Montréal, Ericka Alneus, argued that international conflicts had repercussions on the municipality.
“They have a very real impact on our communities, whether we like it or not,” she said.
Alneus emphasized the importance of the motion, even in its amended form.
“One thing is certain: we had this debate. Where no one wanted to have it, Montreal had this debate.”
Speaking to reporters before the session, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada stated that Montreal had little influence over foreign policy. She added that the city could not ignore the reported rise in antisemitism, noting that she understood the concerns of those with family in the Middle East.
She specified that the city was willing to adopt motions in favor of defending international rights.
A debated issue
Montreal Anti-Apartheid, a campaign launched during the 2025 municipal elections, supported the motion, even though it does not meet all of the group’s demands, explained its co-founder, Sepideh Anvar.
The campaign wants Montreal to sever, rather than suspend, its institutional ties with Israel. Its broader demands include divestment from Israeli entities and companies that it argues contribute to apartheid and genocide, a boycott of Israeli representatives, and increased support for Palestinian refugees.
Anvar sees this motion as a first step.
“In a context where we are barely able to obtain even symbolic gestures of solidarity with Palestine, the fact that the City of Montreal, one of the largest cities in North America, is preparing to take a concrete step, namely suspending these relations, is astounding,” she said.
As elected officials, we have a responsibility to be consistent. Palestine should be no exception to the solidarity expressed by the council with so many other peoples, especially since thousands of Montrealers have loved ones directly affected by this conflict,” added Alneus.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which advocates for the interests of Jewish federations in Canada, is calling on Montreal city councillors to reject the motion. The organization believes the proposal risks exacerbating divisions within the city and argues that city leaders should prioritize local concerns such as housing, homelessness, infrastructure, and public safety.
The motion received the support of more than 700 Quebec artists, organizations and cultural actors, who signed a declaration urging city councillors to vote in favour of it.
The campaign was organized by the Quebec Artists’ Club Against Apartheid, which counts among its supporters professionals from film, television, theatre, music, literature and visual arts.
Emilie Manering, one of the club’s founders and campaign leaders, said that this initiative aims in part to demonstrate the solidarity of the Quebec cultural community with the Palestinians.
“Artists are also citizens. We are first and foremost citizens,” said Manering.
Anvar and Manering challenged the argument that international affairs are not within the responsibilities of a municipal administration.
Manering stated that the motion would not divert attention from local issues, while Anvar recalled Montreal’s history of opposing apartheid in South Africa, including the 1987 decision to refuse any contracts to companies profiting from that regime.
Both hope that Montreal’s vote will encourage other Canadian municipalities to take similar measures.
The council also considered another motion on Monday denouncing acts of antisemitism, including arson attacks against synagogues. This motion will now be debated by the Montreal Island agglomeration council.
The council of the agglomeration includes several elected officials, including Martinez Ferrada and the mayors of the 14 cities that are part of the Montreal agglomeration.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
