MONTREAL – Opposition municipal politicians in Montreal want city hall to suspend institutional ties with the Israeli government, a move supporters say could mark a significant step in local action over the war in Gaza.
The motion, introduced by Projet Montréal, the municipal party that forms the official Opposition at city hall, calls on Montreal to recognize and denounce what it describes as an apartheid regime in Palestine and a genocide being perpetrated there, and to express solidarity with Palestinians and other civilian victims of the conflict.
It also calls on the city to suspend institutional ties with the current Israeli government, its institutions and municipalities.
The motion was on the agenda for Monday’s city council meeting.
Councillors arriving at city hall were greeted by protesters carrying Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine.” They held speeches urging elected officials to adopt the motion.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said the city has little influence over foreign policy. She said the city cannot ignore a reported rise in antisemitism, adding that she understands the concerns of those with family in the Middle East.
“Our responsibility is making sure that we’re working toward services to citizens and making sure we have a social cohesion and people are respected,” she said. “We have to find a way to get people together, even when those conversations are difficult.”
She specified the city is open to adopting motions on the defence of international rights.
The opposition’s proposal has received the backing of Montreal Anti-Apartheid, a campaign launched during the city’s 2025 municipal election, though it falls short of the group’s broader demands, explained co-founder Sepideh Anvar.
The campaign wants Montreal to cut, rather than suspend, institutional ties with Israel. Its broader demands include divesting from Israeli entities and companies it says contribute to apartheid and genocide, boycotting Israeli representatives and providing greater support to Palestinian refugees.
Anvar, who described the motion as a first step, said suspending institutional ties could mean Israeli government representatives would no longer be invited to Montreal City Hall and municipal officials would not accept paid trips, gifts or meals from Israel.
“In a campaign where we can barely get 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 do something concrete, to suspend ties, is astonishing,” she said.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which advocates on behalf of Jewish federations across Canada, is calling on Montreal councillors to vote down the motion. The organization says the proposal risks deepening divisions in the city and argues municipal leaders should prioritize local concerns such as housing, homelessness, infrastructure and public safety.
The motion has drawn support from more than 700 Quebec artists, cultural workers and organizations, who signed a declaration urging city councillors to vote in favour.
The campaign was organized by the Quebec Artists Against Apartheid Club, whose supporters include people working in film, television, theatre, music, literature and the visual arts.
Emilie Manering, a co-founder of the club who helped organize the campaign, said the effort was partly intended to demonstrate support for Palestinians within Quebec’s cultural community.
“Artists are also citizens. We are citizens first and foremost,” Manering said.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has also raised concerns about the motion in the context of antisemitism and recent incidents targeting Montreal’s Jewish community. The CIJA says thousands of Montrealers opposed an earlier version of the proposal in June, which was initially scheduled for debate that month but was postponed until August.
Both Anvar and Manering disputed the argument that international affairs fall outside the responsibilities of a municipal government.
Manering said the motion would not distract from local issues, while Anvar pointed to Montreal’s history of opposing apartheid in South Africa, including a 1987 decision to deny contracts to companies that profited from the regime.
Manering and Anvar hope Montreal’s vote could encourage other Canadian municipalities to take similar action.
The council also reviewed another motion on Monday denouncing acts of antisemitism, including firebombings at synagogues. That motion will now be debated by the agglomeration council for the entire Island of Montreal.
The agglomeration council includes a number of elected officials, including Martinez Ferrada and mayors from 14 cities that demerged from Montreal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2026.
