By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban
Over the past weeks, Allison Saunders, Vice-Chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, has found herself the center of controversy following her sharing of a post widely criticized as antisemitic and anti-Israel. While Saunders has since acknowledged that her actions “caused harm for members of the Jewish community” and has stated that she does “not condone antisemitism or any form of hate,” she maintains that she stands by the contents of the post.
The post Saunders shared accused Quebec society of “complicity in the ongoing Judaisnismmn”—a term that appears to be a mistranslation from French, meant to convey “Jew-nociders,” a slur implying that Jews are committing genocide. The awkward phrasing stems from Saunders’ own translation, using Google Translate as she told The Suburban, of the French post; the original French word carries this inflammatory accusation. The post also lamented leaders who have “not expressed the slightest empathy or even awareness about it,” expressed “shame” over the province’s “propensity to despise and fear Muslims and Arabs,” and ultimately pivoted to blaming “the ultra-rich” as the real problem.
In an interview with The Suburban, Saunders described her thought process behind sharing the post: “So I saw this post, it was a French woman’s post, and I resonated with it. I translated it — her words, not mine. Two people reached out to the chair of the school board to complain that I was sharing antisemitic commentary on my personal Facebook and that as a commissioner who believes in EDI, I should be more careful. I thought about just making it private, blocking it from the people that I knew were the complainers. But then I’m like, if I’m going to start blocking people, I should be able to say what I want to say, when I want to say it, and stand behind it.”
When asked by The Suburban why she posted an apology, Saunders said: “That was my sort of side apology. Yes, it’s an apology. I’m acknowledging that some people read this and were offended by it, and it wasn’t the intention. That’s my apology. I fully believe everything else that was in that post.”
Notably, Saunders attempted to distance herself from responsibility for the language in question, stating that the post was “not my own writing, but it resonated with my concerns.” She frames her actions as sharing a translation of someone else’s thoughts. In using the inflammatory terms — specifically the use of a mistranslated slur implying Jews are committing genocide, as well as the pointed reference to Tel Aviv — Saunders’ chose to highlight these elements and did not clarify or correct the translation.
This sentiment was echoed by Raquel Lobaton, a teacher at John Rennie and a parent of a John Rennie graduate, who has worked closely with the Foundation for Genocide Education. Speaking about the controversy, Lobaton noted, “It came to my attention and what I did is reach out to the chairman of the school board. She is an elected official and I said it was not appropriate for an elected official to post that. It was clearly antisemitic and anti-Israel. Disturbing that someone posts that representing LBPSB and John Rennie High School board.”
Lobaton, who has dedicated significant time to Holocaust and genocide education through her work with the Foundation, emphasized how damaging it is to see someone in a position of responsibility circulate material containing antisemitic tropes. “As a teacher, and as a parent of a graduate from John Rennie, I feel a responsibility to speak up. Our community is diverse, and we have a duty to stand against hate in any form — especially when it comes from those elected to serve all families,” she explained to The Suburban. “This isn’t just about a single post. It’s about the message it sends to students, to staff, and to Jewish families like mine.”
Lobaton acknowledged that Saunders took down the post and issued what she calls “an apology that is not really an apology.” As a Jewish person herself, Lobaton observed, “I think she was trying to say she was compassionate — but her post was anything but compassionate.” She also pointed out that Saunders “even went as far out as to say she is angry at people who ‘tattled’.” Lobaton described that sentiment as deeply troubling: “To frame legitimate concern and the need for accountability as ‘tattling’ is dismissive. It’s not about creating division—it’s about ensuring our leaders are held to the same standards they claim to uphold.”
The Suburban reached out to LBPSB’s Chair of the Council of Commissioners Judith Kelley to comment on the controversy. No response was received by press time. n