Projet Montréal’s Incendiary Motion: The End of a Circus
Monday night, reason finally triumphed at City Hall. The radical fringe failed to impose its extremist agenda. Thanks to a historic citizen mobilization and the efforts of Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Projet Montréal’s motion — which should never have been introduced — was heavily amended.
Montreal, like any city, has its challenges: orange cones paralyzing traffic, emptying commercial arteries, an out-of-control homelessness crisis, and failing infrastructure.
There is therefore no shortage of topics for an opposition that wants to prove itself active. Faced with these colossal challenges, one might have expected our elected officials to tackle local problems. As the mayor rightly pointed out, foreign policy simply does not fall under the jurisdiction of the city council.
Yet, the official opposition made the opposite choice by tabling an irresponsible proposal calling on municipal elected officials to cut ties with the State of Israel, a gesture that responds to the demands of groups sowing hate in our streets. As a reminder, this party has spent the last few weeks adding fuel to the most radical elements of our society, at the expense of social cohesion and social peace.
The images in front of City Hall this Monday served as a reminder of the harmful effects of this approach: pro-Palestinian protesters openly glorifying the “intifada” and maintaining intimidating behavior. Inside the chamber, the spectacle was equally distressing. During the debates, we heard a city councillor refuse to attach the terrorist group designation to Hamas, going so far as to declare that the barbaric massacre of October 7 was an “attack against Palestinian civilians.”
How is it possible to omit the terrorist nature of the group responsible for the assassination of more than 1,200 people, including young Montrealer Alex Look?
For the Jewish community, this political maneuvering reopens wounds. Our community represents less than 1% of the Canadian population, yet suffers nearly two-thirds of hate crimes. Playing with division and trying to cloak oneself in virtue is unacceptable.
We can debate, criticize, protest, and profoundly disagree. That is the nature of a democracy. But when political debate fuels polarization, trivializes extremist discourse, or makes a portion of the population feel they have become a legitimate target, one must have the integrity to stop.
All over the world, our democratic societies are facing the same challenge: how do we discuss international conflicts without importing hate into our own streets and without turning our neighbors into enemies? The answer cannot be to throw more oil on the fire.
Fortunately, civil society stood up with principle. Over 150,000 emails flooded City Hall. More than 6,200 citizens, supported by our precious allies from the Italian and Hellenic communities, as well as the Jewish-Christian dialogue, demanded an end to this circus. The message was clear: Montreal must not become the playground for those who thrive on division.
Monday’s vote thus helped avoid the worst, and the attempt to label Israel a genocidal state failed.
But this episode will leave its mark. When elected officials seek the favor of an electorate that will never be satisfied, and for whom no compromise will ever be enough, it is our social cohesion and the values that unite us that pay the price.
The day after all this turmoil, I attended the wedding of a very dear friends’ daughter. The ceremony overlooked Alex Look Park, named in memory of the young Montrealer murdered during the October 7 attacks. The contrast was striking. A few days earlier, we were plunged into a debate that threatened to further divide our city; and now here we were, gathered to celebrate life.
Then came that very special moment in the Jewish ceremony: the groom broke the glass. In this gesture lies both memory and the future. The memory of the destruction and of Jerusalem. The awareness that even in the happiest moments, our history also bears the traces of suffering. But it is also a promise: to continue to live, to love, to build, and to hope.
This is perhaps the most powerful answer to those who want to trap us in fear and division. We are not here only to survive waves of hate; we are here to build.
Montreal therefore deserves better than political maneuvers that pit its citizens against one another. Its elected officials must now return to their primary mission: working for all Montrealers and addressing the very real challenges facing our city.
Montreal can, and must, do better.
