Toronto’s Mayor Leans Toward The Palestinians
Residents of Toronto head to the polls on October 26 to reelect Mayor Olivia Chow for a second term or to elect city councilman Brad Bradford as her successor. It is a tight race and could go either way, judging by the latest polls.
The major issues on the table range from affordable housing and property taxes to traffic congestion and public safety. But as far as some Torontonians are concerned, Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians is an issue as well. This should not be surprising in light of Toronto’s demographics.
Toronto, the biggest city in Canada, is home to the largest Jewish community in the country, having surpassed Montreal decades ago, and a substantial number of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.
So Hamas’ attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023, combined with Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip three weeks later, had a profound impact on both communities.
Throughout 2023, 2024 and 2025, Toronto was the scene of divisive pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel rallies.
Chow, Toronto’s first Chinese mayor and a member of the left-of-center New Democratic Party, has tilted toward the Palestinian point of view and thereby offended most Jewish Torontonians.
Her record speaks for itself.
On November 10, 2023, Chow was the first mayor of a Canadian metropolis to call for a ceasefire to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Supporters of Israel opposed the motion, which would have given Hamas an opportunity to regroup and rearm.
During a National Council of Canadian Muslims event in November 2025, Chow said that “genocide in Gaza impacts us all.” It was a reference to Israel’s two-year military campaign, during which more than 70,000 Palestinians were killed. Her comment was hailed by Palestinians and their supporters, but Jewish organizations like B’nai Brith Canada condemned Chow and called for her resignation.
In the same month and year, the Palestinian flag was raised at a City Hall ceremony after courts rejected a legal challenge by pro-Israel groups to block it. Chow did not attend the flag-raising, but she was surely aware of it.
Chow was heard chanting “Free Palestine” at the 2026 Pride Parade, a phrase that pro-Israel Torontonians unanimously interpreted as a call to dismantle Israel as a Jewish/Zionist state.
She refused to attend the Walk With Israel parade in 2024 and 2025, a major event in the Jewish community’s calendar.
On the other side of the ledger, Chow has condemned antisemitism and increased a police presence around Jewish institutions, especially during high Jewish holidays.
She supported and funded Project Resolute, a Toronto Police Service Hate Crime Unit operation. Pro-Palestinian advocates and civil liberties critics have condemned it, citing its mass surveillance techniques and its heavy-handed tactics.
Shortly after October 7, she condemned a Palestinian rally, describing it as a rally in support of Hamas. Since then, she has apologized for having missed Jewish community events marking October 7.
In 2024, she denounced a Palestinian protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital, calling it antisemitic.
She voted for Bubble Bylaws, which created protest-free buffer zones outside religious and community centres. Critics, particularly Palestinians and their allies, claim they may restrict protest rights and disproportionately target pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Unlike Chow, Bradford has been unambiguously pro-Israel.
“The bottom line is that Bradford is an active opponent of the pro-Palestine movement, with close links to pro-Israel organizations, and his election could present significant challenges to our communities and protest rights,” warned Canadians for Justice in the Middle East, a resolutely pro-Palestinian organization, in a statement on October 24. “We view it as an imperative to make sure Bradford is not elected as mayor of Toronto.
Canadians for Justice in the Middle East issued a lukewarm endorsement of the incumbent mayor.
“Chow’s record is decidedly mixed … She has supported certain restrictions on protests and at times has characterized the pro-Palestine movement in negative ways. Mayor Chow, despite being far from perfect, is someone who, we hope, can be pushed to make meaningful changes to support the rights of Palestinians and their allies.”
On balance, it would appear that progressives and residents who lean toward the Palestinian cause will cast their ballots for Chow, while pro-Israel Jews are likely to vote for Bradford.