By Joseph Marshall
Mitchell Brownstein is running for re-election as Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc. At the same time, he remains Chair of the Mount Royal Federal Liberal Association, the very body that fuels the Liberal machine in a riding with one of the largest Jewish populations in the country. That dual role has now become untenable. On August 11, 2025, Brownstein presided over a unanimous council resolution slamming Ottawa’s recognition of a Palestinian State as reckless, dangerous, and enabling antisemitism. Yet instead of cutting his ties to the party that carried out that recognition, Brownstein continues to serve as its local leader. That is not balance. That is hypocrisy.
The resolution’s language left no room for ambiguity. It declared: “Council opposes the Government of Canada’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September 2025, as it deviates from the established principle of achieving statehood through direct, bilateral negotiations between Israel and a demilitarized Palestinian authority which recognizes Israel’s right to exist.” It warned that recognition “without borders, without elections and with a terrorist organization still in control of Gaza” was “rewarding violence and legitimizing extremism in the Middle East and right here in Montreal as well as in Canada.” And it spelled out the local consequence: “The unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state emboldens and rewards the terrorist organization, Hamas … Prime Minister Carney’s announcement does not just embolden terrorism abroad — it empowers antisemitism here in Canada.”
Those are the words Brownstein approved as mayor. But as Liberal chair, he props up the very party that forced that policy through. He cannot stand on both sides of this line. His constituents should ask which hat he is really wearing: the one defending Jewish safety at City Hall or the one building Liberal power for a Prime Minister who just emboldened Hamas.
The hypocrisy extends beyond Brownstein. Nearly the entire Côte Saint-Luc council has historically rallied behind Anthony Housefather, himself a former mayor and now MP for Mount Royal. Housefather still sits in caucus, shoulder to shoulder with the Prime Minister who recognized a Palestinian State while Hamas remains in charge in Gaza. Not one of the Jewish Liberal MPs, Housefather, Rachel Bendayan, Julie Dabrusin, Karina Gould, Ya’ara Saks, has had the courage to break ranks. They posture as defenders of the Jewish community, then hide in caucus when their government embraces Hamas by another name.
Even now, local political alignments suggest continuity. Veteran councillor Dida Berku is rumored not to be running again, and so far the only declared candidate to replace her is a Housefather supporter. That means the same network of municipal actors tied closely to the federal Liberal establishment is preparing to carry on unchecked in Côte Saint-Luc. Instead of a clean break with a party that has turned its back on Jewish concerns, the local machine looks ready to reinforce its ties, keeping City Hall bound to Housefather and to a Liberal caucus that refuses to walk away from recognition of a Palestinian State while Hamas still rules Gaza.
History is not an abstraction here. The last Palestinian election in 2006 handed Hamas power. Every serious survey since shows Hamas would win again. Hamas’s charter still calls for Israel’s destruction. Its rockets, tunnels, and hostages remain a grim reality. The first intifada, the second intifada, the suicide bombings of the 1990s and 2000s, the murder of Israeli athletes at Munich in 1972, all of it shows the same pattern: when terror is legitimized, Jews pay in blood. Canada has now decided to look away from that history.
Côte Saint-Luc’s resolution called it honestly: recognition under these conditions emboldens extremism and fuels antisemitism here at home. But words at council are not enough. Leadership demands consistency. Brownstein cannot wave the flag of resistance at City Hall while keeping his chair in the Liberal apparatus. Housefather cannot claim to fight antisemitism while staying glued to caucus. And Jewish Liberal MPs cannot profess love for Israel while lending legitimacy to a policy that strengthens its sworn enemies.
The people of Côte Saint-Luc now have the chance to render their verdict. They can decide whether Brownstein’s double game deserves another term. They can decide whether their city should be led by a man who says one thing in a resolution and does the opposite in his political life. The choice is theirs. But one thing is certain: history will not remember kindly those who stayed seated in the Liberal ranks while their party legitimized terror and emboldened antisemitism.
Mr. Bownstein resigned his position as Chair of the Mount Royal Liberal Association before the start of the current municipal election campaign.
AS Vice-chair, I have replaced Mr. Brownstein.
Did he resign his support for the Carney liberal government that has supported the current state of affairs in Canada against the Jewish community? Did he resign his liberal red election signs in favor of his new political position? Did he resign his lack of clarity on every single liberal misconduct? Lastly did he resign from anthony housefather?