An Ottawa mayoral candidate is promising to fly the Palestinian flag at city hall if elected this October. In a video posted to social media on Friday, Neil Saravanamuttoo outlined his position on the Israel-Hamas conflict. “As mayor, I will stand with those in our community who are suffering the grief of loss, the anguish of injustice. That’s why, as mayor, I will raise the Palestinian flag at City Hall, as we do for other states,” Saravanamuttoo said in his video address. In an interview with CTV News, Saravanamuttoo said he wanted to make his stance on the issue clear. “I have been prepared to stand up and say that Gaza is a genocide. I agree with the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on this point,” he said. The mayoral hopeful says he’s been asked about several issues outside of the municipal jurisdiction, including the Alto high-speed rail project, in-office mandates for federal workers and Gaza. “People want to know as mayor where I stand, and I think people want to know because they want to know what your values are and whether your values align with their values,” he said. Members of the community have expressed deep concern about the conflict in Gaza, Saravanamuttoo says. “There are a lot of people that say this is just an injustice that is happening, and someone needs to stand up for this,” he said. “We need to speak truth to power, and there’s been certainly a sense that leaders in Canada have not been articulating what we can all see to be the case.” The UN report referenced by Saravanamuttoo was issued in September 2025. Navi Pillay, the chair of the commission, said it found that “Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza.” “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention,” Pillay said. After the commission’s findings were released, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report.” Speaking to CTV News, Saravanamuttoo said the City of Ottawa currently raises the flags of other countries on their national days, and the Palestinian flag should not be treated any differently. “It’s something we do with any country that we recognize. Canada has recognized the state of Palestine. We should be raising the flag of Palestine the way that we do of any other country,” he said. Canada officially recognized the State of Palestine on Sept. 21, 2025. The City of Ottawa’s website says the city flies the flag of any nation with diplomatic ties to Canada. Toronto raised the Palestinian flag at city hall last November. “In recognition of the ethnic diversity of the population of the City of Ottawa and of its unique role as the nation’s capital, the City of Ottawa will fly the flag of any nation on its national day with whom Canada has diplomatic relations,” the City of Ottawa’s website states. Other candidates chime in In a statement to CTV News, mayoral candidate Alex Lawson said he believes the only flags that should fly at city hall are those of Ottawa, Ontario and Canada. “The monstrosities being committed across the world should not be used to try to get votes in a municipal election. We need to stay united in our communities. Everyone deserves to feel safe in our city and hate crimes will not be tolerated,” Lawson said in a statement to CTV News. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is seeking re-election this fall. In a statement, his campaign team said the city has a long-standing flag policy and that questions regarding its policy are “best directed to the City’s Office of Protocol.” “Mayor Sutcliffe remains focused on the job he was elected to do: governing the City of Ottawa responsibly by keeping taxes low while investing strongly in residents’ priorities - roads, infrastructure, transit, and public safety,” Sutcliffe’s campaign wrote. “He has also worked diligently and collaboratively to bring all communities to the table through his Faith Leaders Council and the City of Kindness Summit, to protect all Ottawa residents from antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hatred.” Coun. Jeff Leiper is seeking the mayoral office and did not respond to requests for comment on this issue. Zed Chebib, Peter Westaway, Suraj Harish, Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi, Bernard Couchman, Ali Shayvard, Jacob Solomon, Amjad Ali Syed, Josh Rachlis and Geoff Nicholas are also running for mayor. Ottawa residents will head to the polls on Oct. 26. With files from the Associated Press.
