Montreal, QC – August 5, 2025 – Following discussions with the new Chair of the Board of Fierté Montréal, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) confirms that representatives of the institutional Jewish community have been re-invited to march in the Pride Parade.
“In recent days, it became clear that excluding groups representing the Jewish community sent the message that Jews—and Jewish 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and allies—are not welcome under the rainbow of Montreal Pride. This would have been unacceptable.
“In our conversations on Monday, Fierté Montréal was adamant that the organization opposes antisemitism and had no intention of excluding the Jewish community. Leadership reiterated that every community, regardless of religious affiliation, must feel welcome and safe at their events. The organization issued an apology to Jewish 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Quebec and the broader Jewish community for a decision that was felt as a message of rejection. Following constructive dialogue, we accepted their apology.
“This incident—so out of step with Fierté Montréal’s values of inclusion and respect, values that must be upheld in the broader struggle for Quebec’s shared values—should never have happened. While we hope for the safe return of the hostages and for peace, and while our hearts break with every civilian death, whether Israeli or Palestinian, the streets of Montréal must not become a stage for intimidation and we must reaffirm our shared commitment to defending 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and fight antisemitism in Quebec, in Canada, and around the world.
“We also want to acknowledge the thousands of people—politicians, media, influencers, and everyday citizens, 2SLGBTQIA+ or not—who condemned the exclusion and called for the Jewish community to be welcomed back into the Parade.
“We welcome Fierté Montréal’s commitment to reviewing its complaint process. A situation like this must never happen again.
“Quebec’s Jewish community is glad to move forward.“We call on members of the Montreal Jewish community, especially 2SLGBTQIA+ Jews and allies, to join us and our partner Ga’ava, the 2SLGBTQIA+ advisory committee of the institutional Jewish community of Quebec, in marching together this Sunday in downtown Montréal.”
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