Rejecting the demand<\/p>\n
Quebec City rejected the demand, International Relations and Francophonie Minister Christopher Skeete writing earlier this month that the government is following International Court of Justice proceedings and welcomes the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. \u201cOur decision to keep the Qu\u00e9bec Government Office in Tel Aviv in operation is in no way an endorsement of a position in the Israel \u2013 Hamas conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ministry spokesperson Camille Jobin told The CJN that despite the geopolitical context, the BQTA already demonstrated its relevance and strategic value, laying a foundation for lasting partnerships. \u201cQuebec and Israel share complementary strengths and a common interest in concrete collaborations, particularly in innovation and economic development.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Luf, diplomacy, and the diplomacy of business, can\u2019t be overstated and the Quebec-Israel relationship has much room to grow, as Israelis\u2019 current knowledge about Quebec is limited. \u201cThey know Canada and Montreal, there\u2019s a large French-speaking community, and we have a Montreal-born MK, Dan Illouz<\/a>. But ask the general public about Quebec, and \u2018where they speak French in Canada?\u2019 is the most you will get.\u201d<\/p>\n What he sees here, however, is \u201cvery healthy and rooted democratic engagement. Quebecers have an identity, a sense of nationality, a flag, and a language. You know what you belong to. There is a cultural baseline, which is very similar in a way to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n He recognizes Quebecers have long felt surrounded, if not by hostile violent adversaries, by overwhelming and persistent cultural pressures: \u201cA different language in an island of English, and a different culture in a sea of other cultures. I think Quebecers can understand, maybe sometimes better than other Canadians, the complexity of being Israeli,\u201d in a region dominated by a different ideology, identity and worldview. (Quebec government documents cited cultural similarities and the presence of a strong Jewish diaspora in Quebec as reasons to choose Israel for their new office.)<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Luf says the partnership makes sense, noting Quebec\u2019s rapid socio-economic rise. \u201cThey bridged an enormous gap over decades. It bears similarity to Israel: do things quickly, innovate, think outside the box. Once Quebecers and Israelis meet each other, they will discover a lot in common, with great potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Quebec trade soars, prioritizes collaboration<\/p>\n Jobin told The CJN economic exchanges have soared since opening the BQTA; exports to Israel reached CDN $228 million in the first three quarters of 2025, 123 per cent more than 2024\u2019s total. While fourth-quarter data is not yet available, bilateral trade is expected to exceed CDN$500 million.<\/p>\n Quebec prioritizes collaboration in high-tech, artificial intelligence, life sciences, agri-food and climate technologies, with partnerships in research and development and views Israel as \u201cone of the most advanced innovation ecosystems in the world.\u201d Israeli practices in commercialization and transition from lab to market \u201crepresent a valuable source of learning for Quebec start-ups,\u201d and a gateway to new markets.<\/p>\n There are still some ongoing local issues, including recognizing Israeli driver licenses and simplifying taxation for Israelis working in Quebec, but Luf is eying more growth. \u201cWe are just beginning to discover the potential,\u201d highlighting aerospace and innovation, with the Montreal-based headquarters of the UN\u2019s International Civil Aviation Organization (to which he is a representative), Air Canada, Bombardier and other companies.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not making cars or planes, or heavy industrial things; our economic leader is high-tech and innovation. It\u2019s not about producing per se, but about producing the best.\u201d That he says, is the pitch. \u201cI\u2019m not a businessman and I\u2019m not an expert of high-tech, but my job is to find the right matches. We are matchmakers; get the right people together and they move on.\u201d<\/p>\n His comments happened to follow a February Quebec \u2013 Israel business conference in Tel Aviv, linking startups and investors across sectors, focusing on AI, ag-tech, aviation, space, entertainment, and others.<\/p>\n \u201cThe event\u2019s goal was to introduce startups, investors, corporate leaders, and ecosystem builders,\u201d particularly those exploring new opportunities in North America, to Quebec, Israel missions director for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Myriam Azogui-Halbwax, told The CJN. Despite shared strengths, Quebec remains underexplored by Israeli firms, she said. \u201cThe conference aimed to change that by positioning Quebec as both a strategic partner and a practical gateway into the North American market.\u201d<\/p>\n For all the accomplishments and enthusiasm for Quebec, Luf also wants to renew focus on Atlantic Canada, he told The CJN. \u201cI visited Halifax, and there is a lot to discover there, especially dealing with blue-tech, an area where Israel has a lot of startups and ideas.\u201d (Blue technology refers to technologies, businesses, and innovations focusing on industries that depend on oceans and water resources and was one of five R&D priorities signaled to the Israeli government by its National Council for Civilian Research and Development last fall.) \u201cWe also began, with the Embassy in Ottawa, to look at possibilities in New Brunswick, which has a very large port.\u201d Luf says trips to P.E.I. and Newfoundland will also happen. \u201cI\u2019m sure we can find a lot of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZero effect on Israel\u201d<\/p>\n Discussing other recent business news affecting Israel, Luf discounts Scotiabank\u2019s divestment of Elbit Systems shares<\/a>. \u201cIt was a stupid move, done for political purposes and they harm their own investors.\u201d Scotiabank\u2019s asset management firm dumped its remaining holdings of the Israeli defense contractor after largely reducing its shares during the Gaza-Israel war. As of February 2026, it had fully divested of its estimated 150,000-plus remaining shares. Scotiabank thus missed out on a major rally given the recent surge in Elbit\u2019s value. (With 25% annualized growth, the company offered an approximate 850% return over 10 years. The typical share price was around US$470 in December 2025<\/a> surging to a February high breaching US$740.)<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise Luf says, noting Elbit has massively outperformed market indexes, and the move has zero effect on Israel. It\u2019s just anti-Israel activism, which is also ever-present within educational institutions, he says, calling the Montreal campus situation \u201ccomplicated, particularly at the two English-language universities (Concordia and McGill). Between them, Concordia is definitely the worst. Too many people think they\u2019re harming Israel, but they\u2019re harming the Canadian academy much more.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2023-2024 there were a number of joint research projects<\/a> between Quebec and Israeli universities, research institutions, and private companies, including on Alzheimer\u2019s, rare earth science, and climate change. Even amid heightened sensitivities, Concordia\u2019s John Molson School of Business again hosted an international competition<\/a> which included an Israeli team from Ben-Gurion University. \u201cThey were part of the team under the flag of Israel. No drama, and it went really well. When you talk about real stuff and not politics, you can do things together\u2026 It\u2019s not all bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Luf finds the local Jewish community \u201cvery pessimistic and it\u2019s a shame. There are difficulties, but we should stand up for what we believe in. Most of those protesters and activists are bullies, and you stand up against bullies. They understand they cannot win against Israel on the ground so they try to win against Israel in Concordia?\u201d He echoed the response of former imprisoned Soviet refusenik-turned Israeli cabinet minister Natan Sharansky, whose advice at a 2024 Montreal Hillel gathering to students confronting antisemitism on campus, was: \u201cWhy are you asking me? You\u2019re young, fight!\u201d<\/p>\n With Quebec elections this fall, the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois (PQ) buoyed by several by-election wins is polling well ahead of the ruling CAQ, as the Liberal opposition tries to recover from a scandal-stained leadership race and weak support among the francophone majority and beyond Montreal.<\/p>\n In 2024, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Quebec\u2019s Tel Aviv office should suspend work until a ceasefire and criticized the government on transparency about its timeline. The separatist party, which supported recognition of Palestinian statehood, has since said little, while continuing decades-long efforts to bolster its international profile.<\/p>\n Luf won\u2019t comment on partisan politics, but praised Quebecers\u2019 engagement, and \u201cdeep democratic knowledge, understanding how powerful you are as a voter. Quebecers from one election to the other, think about what will serve them best. They are not like sports fans voting for their team no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n He also reported that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism has appointed a new representative for Canada who should arrive within a few months to reopen its office in Toronto. \u201cThat\u2019s great news. The ministry made the calculation and decided there is potential, and it\u2019s not only about the Jewish community, which promotes Israel anyway. They can do more to explore new pathways and markets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of standing for what\u2019s right\u201d<\/p>\n Closer to home, Luf praised C\u00f4te Saint-Luc Mayor David Tordjman, who with his council recently adopted a resolution<\/a> in support of the Iranian people and diaspora, and raised the pre-Islamic Republic flag outside city hall.<\/a> \u201cI was very proud to see the Iranian flag being raised by the new Jewish mayor of C\u00f4te Saint-Luc, it was very brave and a very strong statement.\u201d<\/p>\n Luf agrees there\u2019s a challenge at the federal level, something all Israeli missions in Canada are working on, \u201cbecause some governments, like the Canadian government, instead of standing for what is right, go after some votes internally and ruin relations with the State of Israel, which was attacked. Sometimes we need to tell the Canadian government where they\u2019ve done wrong, at least from our point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n That also means more exposure to Israel\u2019s story in both French and English media, and he\u2019s unsurprised by criticism of a recent junket of independent journalists and other media personalities recently visiting Israel<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s always criticism, but the easiest thing is to do nothing. Then you\u2019re not criticized for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n He says BDS and other anti-Israel activism targeting Canadian Jews \u201cis pure antisemitism. There\u2019s no other way to call it,\u201d citing anti-Israel protests against local Jewish communities. \u201cThey say \u2018I\u2019m not against Jews. I\u2019m against Israel.\u2019 What about targeting kids\u2019 camps<\/a>? It\u2019s the old antisemitism used for the cause of Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n That echoed French Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu\u2019s message to French Jews<\/a> this month, condemning Jew-hatred masked as anti-Zionism. \u201cExactly. said Luf, \u201cHe sees exactly what\u2019s going on and there is no other reaction but to be strong, fight it, and not be afraid.\u201d He cited the 19th century Auto-Emancipation\u00a0discourse by Leon Pinsker<\/a>,\u00a0who described attacks on Jews as pathological and irrational, \u201ca sickness, hating Jews is like a virus.\u201d<\/p>\n As for anti-Zionism, \u201cWhen I hear Israel has no right to exist,\u201d he says, \u201cmy answer is \u2018Who asked you?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they [Israel\u2019s detractors] start thinking positively about their own future, for their family, kids and grandkids, in the next 10, 20, and 100 years, we\u2019ll be there, and we\u2019ll talk. We can do tremendous things together. But it\u2019s up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Joel has spent his entire adult life scribbling. For two decades, he freelanced for more than a dozen North American and European trade publications, writing on home decor, HR, agriculture, defense technologies and more. Having lived at 14 addresses in and around Greater Montreal, for 17 years he worked as reporter for a local community newspaper, covering the education, political and municipal beats in seven cities and boroughs. He loves to bike, swim, watch NBA and kvetch about politics.<\/p>\n![\"Joel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Headshot-e1742321976617.webp.webp\")
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