Leaders among Montreal’s legal and medical communities are condemning an anti-Israel motion to be voted upon by city council next week.
Brought by the opposition Projet Montréal party, the motion’s aim is to “recognize and denounce the apartheid regime in Palestine and the genocide being perpetrated there.”
An open letter from almost 50 Montreal lawyers on Thursday states that the motion “goes far beyond an expression of solidarity with Palestinian civilians. It asks Montréal … to declare that a ‘genocide’ is under way,” while asking the city to suspend ties with the Israeli government. The lawyers question whether the proposed measure falls within the powers conferred on the city by the provincial legislature, noting that city councils do not determine international law.
Despite this, they say, “the consequences of this conflict are already being felt here. In 2025, Jewish people were the target of approximately 71 per cent of police-reported hate crimes in Canada motivated by religion. Jewish schools in Montréal have been shot at, Jewish people have been assaulted, synagogues have been attacked, and antisemitism has manifested itself in academic and professional settings through intimidation, threats and exclusion.”
Therefore, the letter suggests, “Montréal can acknowledge the suffering of Palestinian and Israeli civilians, call for respect for international law, and recognize Hamas’s responsibility and the realities Israel has faced since October 7. It does not need to enshrine legally contested allegations in a resolution or lay the groundwork for an institutional, economic or cultural boycott that exceeds its powers and threatens rights protected by our Charter.”
Lior Bibas, president of the Association of Jewish Doctors of Quebec has published an opinion letter about the motion in the Journal de Montréal .
“As president of the Association des Médecins Juifs du Québec (AMJQ), I strongly oppose this deeply divisive motion, likely to have very real consequences here. The Montreal City Council is neither the place to define foreign policy, nor the place where to decide complex issues of international law. Such a motion could weaken social cohesion and establish a logic of institutional break-up that goes far beyond the city hall.”
Businessman Harley Finkelstein shared his objections Friday in an X post. The Shopify president said he is “speaking up because this motion is dangerous for Montreal, and my reason has nothing to do with which side of that war you are on.”
He recounts how his family arrived in Montreal in 1956 as refugees, when the city gave them “safety, dignity and the chance to build. That promise has drawn generations of immigrants here from every corner of the world. I am not going to debate a war on the other side of the world, and that is exactly the point. A municipal government has no jurisdiction over foreign policy. Cities do not end wars.
“This city has been a safe haven for my family and so many others, and it must remain one for everyone.”
On Monday, Montreal city council votes on a motion to cut the city’s ties with Israel. I am speaking up because this motion is dangerous for Montreal, and my reason has nothing to do with which side of that war you are on.
My family arrived in Montreal in 1956 as refugees. This…— Harley Finkelstein (@harleyf) August 21, 2026
In a Thursday X post, a spokesperson for Bnair Brith Canada, Samuel Paola, wrote that it “continues to advocate against the so-called anti-Apartheid motion being proposed by Projet Montreal. The motion is a one-sided invective that unduly targets Israel. It is unacceptable for this unreasonable and irresponsible motion to be passed while Canada is experiencing a national crisis of antisemitism.”
@bnaibrithcanada continues to advocate against the so-called anti-Apartheid motion being proposed by Projet Montreal. The motion is a one-sided invective that unduly targets Israel. It is unacceptable for this unreasonable and irresponsible motion to be passed while Canada is… pic.twitter.com/kP29PkSpdk
— Paola Samuel (@PaolaSamuel) August 20, 2026
These advocacy efforts run parallel to an op-ed published on Friday in the Montreal Gazette by Eta Yudin, senior vice-president (Quebec) at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Yair Szlak, president and CEO at Federation CJA.
They wrote it “is appalling to see the official opposition at city council, for the second time in a few months, try to preserve political capital by calling on Montreal to cut ties with Israel.”
They continue: “The motion is perplexing, as it offers no solutions and fails to advance any debate. Worse, it adds fuel to the fire and risks jeopardizing the safety of the Jewish community. And thousands of Montrealers spoke out against this motion in June.”
Meanwhile, more than 700 artists and workers from Quebec’s cultural community are supporting the Projet Montréal motion, reports Le Devoir .
They are expressing their “full support” for the motion, framed as solidarity with the Palestinian people. This group refers to itself as the Anti-Apartheid Club of Quebec Artists and is calling on Montreal officials to vote in favour.
Over the years, states Le Devoir, city council has passed several resolutions about international issues, such as human rights violations in Iran, Haiti and Rwanda. And after Montrealers condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian diplomats were no longer invited to municipal events. Projet Montréal and the artists’ group are now calling for an end to invitations to Israeli diplomats.
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