C.D.N.-N.D.G. to adopt anti-semitism definition

Côte-des-neiges—notre-damede-grâce borough plans to adopt an internationally recognized definition of anti-semitism that Mayor Valérie Plante balked at accepting for Montreal last year.

Four of the six members of the borough council — all but the two councillors from Plante's Projet Montréal party — have agreed to hold a special borough council meeting Wednesday to approve the working definition of anti-semitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Montreal opposition leader Lionel Perez, a city councillor in the borough, informed Montreal city council Monday.

“Unfortunately, the Jewish community, and Jews generally, are disproportionately represented when it comes to statistics of hate crimes across Canada,” Perez said in an interview.

In January 2020, Perez, who is interim leader of Ensemble Montréal, sponsored a motion in city council to adopt the IHRA definition. But he withdrew it after Plante proposed instead to task a standing committee of council with coming up with a “Montreal model” for defining anti-semitism. Plante said defining anti-semitism was “far from a black and white issue.”

Several major Jewish organizations support the IHRA definition, however Independent Jewish Voices says the definition equates certain forms of criticism of Israel with anti-semitism and therefore could be used to stifle criticism of Israel.

Also at the council meeting, Plante's administration said it is dealing internally with the decision of Outremont borough councillor Mindy Pollak to travel to New York in December for a family member's emergency surgery.

Pollak revealed in a post on her Facebook page on Jan. 6 that she was in New York State, having made an unplanned trip on Dec. 15.

“Despite this difficult family situation I realize today that it's a personal choice that affects the integrity of our administration's efforts since the beginning of the pandemic,” Pollak wrote. “I apologize and take full responsibility.”

A spokesperson for the mayor and executive committee said Pollak didn't advise her party before her departure, adding that Pollak was in self-isolation.

...Jews generally, are disproportionately represented when it comes to statistics of hate crimes across Canada.