Montreal’s municipal council adopted a motion of solidarity with the Palestinian people in a meeting on Monday night.
The motion, which contained multiple amendments from the one originally presented by the opposition party, was passed with 54 councillors voting in favour and six voting against.
The original motion, introduced by Projet Montréal, the municipal party that forms the official Opposition at city hall, called 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 called on the city to suspend institutional ties with the current Israeli government, its institutions and municipalities.
Minutes before the council adopted the motion, the party in power, Ensemble Montreal, proposed its amendments, which were adopted along party lines.
The amendments add focus on diversity and inclusion in Montreal and remove most claims of genocide as well as the calls to cut ties with Israel.
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“We are extremely disappointed with the amendments. (The motion) is very watered down, which is typical. But we didn’t want to withdraw our motion. We left a mark, in essence. That was important,” said Nathalie Goulet, the councillor for the Ahuntsic-Cartierville who presented the motion, outside city hall after the meeting.
Around Goulet, a crowd of protesters was cheering, thanking or hugging her as she passed. Yet one expressed his displeasure, asking councillors to explain why they had voted for a motion that removed mention of a “genocide.”
During the debate to approve the motion, the Opposition clashed with Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada over the city’s role in denouncing international conflict.
Martinez Ferrada argued that it was not Montreal’s role to denounce these conflicts, passing that responsibility to the federal government and making the case for unity within the city.
Interim Leader of the Opposition, Ericka Alneus, argued that international conflicts ripple to the municipality.
“They have a very real impact on our community, whether we want it or not,” she said.
Alneus highlighted the importance of the motion, even amended.
“One thing is for sure: we had this debate. When no one wanted to have it, Montreal had this debate,” she said.
Early in the day, councillors arriving at city hall were greeted by protesters carrying Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Martinez Ferrada 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.”
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