Radio-Canada journalist says Jews control ‘a big machine,’ US cities, Hollywood

Radio-Canada has suspended a reporter for using antisemitic tropes after she asserted that Jews control a “big machine,” major US cities, and Hollywood, provoking condemnation from the government’s pointman on Jewish community relations, from the community itself, and from other officials.

The broadcaster said it had suspended correspondent Élisa Serret following the incident and issued an apology to the Jewish community as well as viewers who were offended.

Serret made the remarks on Monday when she was in Washington speaking live with the studio about US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Israel.

Christian Latreille, the host of the news program “Sur le terrain,” asked Serret about US backing for Israel amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, and specifically why that support was not being withdrawn as Israel expands its military operations to conquer Gaza City.

Serret responded that “the Israelis, in fact the Jews, finance a lot of American politics” and control a “big machine,” according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation English translation of her remarks reported Tuesday.

Serret also said that “big cities” in the US, as well as Hollywood, are “run by Jews.”

These are textbook tropes and are antisemitic under the IHRA definition adopted by the Government of Canada. @CBC @iciradiocanada needs to publicly explain how it will prevent this from happening again. https://t.co/1qSqIRkUgg

— Anthony Housefather (@AHousefather) September 16, 2025

Radio Canada on Tuesday issued a “sincere apology” to any offended viewers and the Jewish community.

A statement on its website stated that Serret’s analysis of American policy in the Middle East “led to stereotypical, anti-Semitic, erroneous and prejudicial allegations against Jewish communities.”

“These unacceptable comments” violate the station’s journalist standards and practices and “in no way reflect the opinion of the public broadcaster.”

It said that the news department “has decided to relieve the journalist of her duties until further notice.”

Latreille also put out a statement saying he should have “intervened” over Serret’s remarks and apologizing for the incident, CBC reported.

Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault, who is responsible for CBC/Radio-Canada, denounced Serret’s remarks as “pernicious antisemitic tropes” and declared “antisemitism has no place in Canada.”

“When antisemitic language is used by journalists, or anyone in a position of trust, it risks normalizing hatred in deeply dangerous ways,” Guilbeault wrote in a post to X.

“These are textbook tropes and are antisemitic under the IHRA definition adopted by the Government of Canada,” tweeted Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who is the government’s special adviser on Jewish community relations and antisemitism.

The Quebec chapter of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a Jewish advocacy group, issued a statement about the “vile antisemitic comments.”

Vice President for CIJA Quebec Eta Yudin, in a post to X, said “this incident cannot be allowed to pass without serious internal reflection on the damage such hateful rhetoric inflicts on our democratic values.”

“We expect Canada’s national public broadcaster… to take concrete steps to ensure that neither such comments — nor the systemic issues that enabled them to be aired — are ever allowed again on Canadian airwaves.”