The Absent Authority of the Prime Minister

"The rise of antisemitism poses a significant threat to the safety, security, and well-being of Jewish communities within our town and across the country."

"It is imperative for municipal governments to express their concerns and stand in solidarity with communities facing discrimination and persecution."

"[Monday's resolution cites the federal government's decision to distance itself] from the longstanding policy of support for Israel [thus contributing to a] major spike in antisemitism across Canada."

Hampstead, Quebec, non-confidence resolution

"Actions speak louder than words. Justin Trudeau excels in rhetoric, but falls short in action. The Canadian government must promptly take concrete steps to shield our communities from further harm."

"Justin Trudeau has ... failed Jews across Canada and we are proud that we can take such a strong position on this."

"It is a very strong message to Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party that we do not support you and we are not confident in your ability to tackle antisemitism."

"Due to the lack of government support at all levels, every Jewish institution in the country has had to fortify its security measures."

"Our community has resorted to securing five separate legal injunctions against pro-Hamas protesters who targeted synagogues -- a troubling testament to the state of affairs in Canada."

"It's disheartening when private citizens must resort to legal recourse because those in power have failed in their duty."

Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi

Though Mayor Jeremy Levi described it as symbolic, Hampstead's resolution says it is imperative for municipal governments to "express their concerns and stand in solidarity with communities facing discrimination and persecution." Photo via City of Montreal

The town council of the Montreal suburb of Hampstead has expressed a no confidence position through a unanimous resolution, in the Liberal government of prime minister Justin Trudeau, for  his and its failure to take substantive action upholding Canada's traditional support of Israel in the United Nations, as a collegial Liberal-Democratic state sitting alone in a Middle East sea of Sheikhdoms, Kingdoms and Petroleum Dictators hostile to the Jewish state's existence. That it has also failed spectacularly to offer security and safety to Canada's long-standing Jewish community is beyond comprehension.

For the town council, in a suburb that is comprised of a majority Jewish residency, the opportunity arose for an assemblage of Jews in a political position to assert itself in support of Canadian Jews in the midst of a raging torrent of rising antisemitism in the wake of Israel's military entering Gaza for the express purpose of demolishing the terrorist group Hamas, which governs the Palestinian enclave. A terrorist group, furthermore, that is listed on Canada's own proscribed terrorist list. Despite which pro-Hamas demonstrations led by Palestinian-, Arab- and Muslim-Canadians denigrating Jews and accusing Israel of 'genocide', elicit no meaningful response from Justin Trudeau.

At the town council meeting where the resolution passed unanimously, its mayor addressed those present citing examples of antisemitism, among them a Nazi-era-inspired caricature of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, portraying him as a vampire. And while Trudeau correctly identified the cartoon as 'antisemitic', as did a number of other Members of Parliament, and the newspaper, La Presse, withdrew the cartoon and apologized, it represents a typical legacy press slander against Israel in the wake of the October 7 desecration of Jewish lives mounted by Hamas in Israel.

Hampstead council also passed a legal initiative in the creation of a new bylaw that prohibits removal of hostage posters, backing the bylaw with a $1,000 fine, pointing the way that such small gestures can be effective and emulated for that purpose by other politicians as incremental measures to combat antisemitism. To above all, send a message that Canadian Jews do not stand alone in the vast country they love where they were born and have every right to the expectation of equal treatment and respect from their countrymen, including recent immigrants from Middle East countries where Muslim-majority populations' cultural traditions victimize Jews.

 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a conference on antisemitism, in Ottawa on Oct. 17, 2023. Last week, during a speech at a synagogue in Côte Saint-Luc, Que., he provided a comprehensive glimpse into his views on Israel, conflict in the Middle East and antisemitism. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

 

Located in the near geographic vicinity to Hampstead is the Montreal Holocaust Museum, where pro-Palestinian activists protested in early Mach, a demonstration organized by the Concordia University student chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights which spoke of the October 7 massacre of Jews in southern Israel as "an unfaltering desire for liberation"; that they "hold the Israeli regime fully responsible for the escalating violence".

At that time, Mayor Levi wrote: "To the Pro-Hamas demonstrators who gathered outside a Montreal Jewish Community building, spreading anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments: your disgrace is inappropriate and misplaced". Mayor Levi spoke once more of his support for Conservative Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, underscoring his confidence in his and his party's "ability to act decisively" in the best interests of returning Canada to its traditional support of Israel, and full acceptance of its responsibility toward Canada's Jewish population.

Pro-Palestine rally in Montreal. Photo by Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press