CÔTE SAINT-LUC — Côte Saint-Luc city council passed a resolution on August 11 unanimously opposing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announced plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The resolution says the city “opposes the Government of Canada’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September 2025” and argues that premature recognition, absent a negotiated agreement, could escalate tensions, undermine diplomacy, and “endanger the safety and security of the Canadian Jewish community.”
It adds that the decision could “energize those who have already defaced our campuses, disrupted our streets and threatened Jewish communities across the country,” language that municipal officials said reflects local security concerns.
Councillor Lior Azerad moved the resolution. It was seconded by all council members and carried unanimously. The council directed the city clerk to send copies to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the member of Parliament for Mount Royal.
Prime Minister Carney announced on July 30 that Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, contingent on conditions such as Palestinian Authority elections and demilitarization. The federal statement framed recognition as part of preserving a two-state solution.
The resolution drew swift backing from national Jewish advocacy groups. B’nai Brith Canada said recognizing Palestine at this moment would be “dangerously premature” and questioned whether the Palestinian Authority can be trusted to meet promised reforms and demilitarization. “Such a decision could also be leveraged by anti-Israel extremists as an endorsement of their vitriolic actions,” the group said.
Advocacy groups, including the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, publicly congratulated Côte Saint-Luc for the vote and stated the council’s stance should serve as a model for other municipalities. AGPI praised the motion as a principled stand against what it called unilateral recognition that rewards violence.
Côte Saint-Luc is one of several Montreal suburbs that have registered formal opposition to Ottawa’s plan. Supporters of the council’s action said the resolution signals that local authorities are responding to constituent concerns about safety, social cohesion, and the impact of international gestures on community security.
The municipal motion stops short of directing federal policy. Instead, it frames the issue as a national foreign policy misstep with local implications and calls for continued diplomatic efforts that prioritize the immediate release of hostages, the disarmament of terrorist groups, and governance that rejects violence.
For pro-Israel and Jewish readers, the vote will be read as a clear municipal rebuke of what local leaders describe as a risky, unilateral shortcut toward statehood. Council members and allied organizations said they will continue to press federal officials to reconsider the timing and conditions of any formal recognition.
This article is based on verified information from the City of Côte Saint-Luc resolution, the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, B’nai Brith Canada, the Canadian Jewish News, and the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.