U.S Congress probes Canadian gov-funded link to anti-Israel school materials

A Canadian-origin concept called “anti-Palestinian racism,” backed by federal funds, has infiltrated American schools and is now being blamed for fueling antisemitism in classrooms.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

A Canadian-origin concept called “anti-Palestinian racism,” backed by federal funds, has infiltrated American schools and is now being blamed for fueling antisemitism in classrooms, according to a report presented to a U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce.

The report traces the proliferation of “anti-Palestinian racism,” often referred to as APR, back to a 2022 report published by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association. The framework has rapidly broken out of legal circles into school districts, universities, teachers’ unions, activist groups, and even political circles in the United States. What began as a Canadian legal definition is now shaping how American students are taught about Israel, Jews, and the Middle East.

(Source: ACLA definition of APR)

The report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies was presented to lawmakers as part of a year-long investigation examining how anti-Israel activism and anti-Jewish rhetoric entered U.S. classrooms. It warns that the Canadian-born concept is being embedded into mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training and classroom materials accessible nationwide. According to the committee, APR has had the opposite of its stated intent by increasing antisemitism rather than reducing it.

The report pointed to nearly $100,000 in Canadian federal grants provided to the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association to develop APR, along with an additional $2,000 grant to translate the material.

The U.S. House Committee report stated that the funding shows how “a program funded by a foreign government can generate publications that fuel anti-Israel activism in U.S. schools”, which has now “become a key source for U.S.-based activists.”

ACLA’s co-founder, Toronto immigration lawyer Ameena Sultan, is widely identified as the primary architect of APR and is one of its most vocal promoters— but her activism raises a few eyebrows.

In the Canadian Council for Refugees’ 2024 fall consultation report, Sultan argues that “anti-Palestinian racism” systemically discriminates against Palestinian refugees and “explicitly identifies Israel as the perpetrator of persecution” in asylum applications she submits on behalf of her clients. In the U.S. committee’s view, this activism illustrates how APR reframes political conflict and concerns over terrorism as a civil rights issue—a view that carries into educational settings.

Sultan also acts as a primary voice for Toronto Palestinian Families, particularly in their activism at the Toronto District School Board. She has publicly demanded that the TDSB include “anti-Palestinian racism” in its equity policy and has been a central figure in the creation of the “Navigating the TDSB Guide”, a resource for Palestinian families in Ontario schools.

Terry Newman revealed in the National Post that the group lists one of its priorities as “ending collaborations with groups that erroneously teach that Jewish identity is inherently linked to the State of Israel,” an inarguably anti-Zionist stance.

The group was provided an identical $100,000 federal grant for “Combating Anti-Semitism and Anti-Palestinian Racism for All.”

In its social media activity, Toronto Palestinian Families promotes street-level protest activity, including collaboration with the Palestinian Youth Movement— a group with alleged ties to Samidoun, which Canada lists as a terrorist organization.

(Source: Toronto Palestinian Families Instagram account, November 2025)

Congress views this as part of a growing foreign influence problem. Lawmakers are already probing how governments such as Qatar have funded materials that promote anti-Israel activism in American schools.

Canada’s involvement, however, is viewed as particularly troubling because it comes from a close ally that officially adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism that states that it is antisemitic to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination.

It is clear from the testimony that U.S. officials regard the spread of APR in schools as a red flag. Within three years of the definition’s publication, congressional testimony confirmed that Canadian-funded materials were circulating inside U.S. schools and that Washington is now treating APR as an urgent issue affecting its students.

True North reached out to Ameena Sultan, her affiliated organizations, and the federal government to request comment and clarification on the issues raised. As of publication, none responded.