Heritage department demands anti-Israel group repay $100K federal grant
A 2026 grant request through the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program was denied, and a retroactive social media search led heritage department officials to demand repayment of a 2025 grant for $99,500.

The federal government is attempting to recover nearly $100,000 in funding provided to an anti-Israel group over content its members and associates posted on social media.
The Department of Canadian Heritage said Instagram messages portraying Israelis as bloody thirsty and the use of a symbol linked to the Hamas terror group were grounds to revoke the funding and demand repayment, reported Blacklock's Reporter.
Toronto Palestinian Families, a branch of Coalition of Palestinian Families, has since launched an appeal to the Federal Court, arguing it should keep the funding it received.
A 2026 grant request through the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program was denied, and a retroactive social media search led heritage department officials to demand repayment of a 2025 grant for $99,500.
“Communications from Toronto Palestinian Families, a branch of Coalition of Palestinian Families, including social media posts and reposts associated with the organization and individuals associated with it can be interpreted as contributing to prejudices and division and undermining the efforts to foster dialogue and promote intercultural and interfaith understanding,” said documents obtained by Blacklock's.
A 2023 post on Instagram labelled Israel an “apartheid” state and suggested the country's governments would “always be extreme,” and that some Israeli government's will “want to outright kill you” while others will “subjugate and enslave you.”
“Long live the triangle,” declared another post, referring to the inverted red triangle symbol associated with Hamas.
Toronto Palestinian Families was directed to repay the $99,500 grant within 60 days, something it is calling on the Federal Court to block.
The group denies it is antisemitic and says its funding is used to “address harmful stereotypes” and “promote mutual understanding.”
COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-05-04 19:41:01 -0400I doubt that organization will pay back the grant money.