MPP Sarah Jama kicked out of NDP caucus

[SFUVancouver]

Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama removed from NDP caucus
Sarah Jama represents the Hamilton Centre riding

CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2023 11:43 AM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Ontario New Democrats have kicked Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama out of caucus.

NDP Party Leader Marit Stiles said in a statement Monday that while the caucus allow different viewpoints, Jama's actions "have contributed to unsafe work environments for staff."

"Ms. Jama and I had reached an agreement to keep her in the NDP Caucus, which included working together in good faith with no surprises. Our caucus and staff have made significant efforts to support her during an undoubtedly difficult time," Stiles said.

"Since then, she has undertaken a number of unilateral actions that have undermined our collective work and broken the trust of her colleagues."

The news comes after a tumultuous couple of weeks for the first-time MPP following a controversial statement she made in support of the people of Gaza in the Hamas-Israeli conflict. Premier Doug Ford called for Jama's resignation and she threatened to sue him for defamation.

Jama's office served a cease and desist letter to Ford on Thursday, said a statement from her lawyer Stephen Ellis and the Legal Centre for Palestine. The letter says if Ford does not remove his social media post, and publicly apologize, Jama would pursue legal action for defamation.

"Ms. Jama maintains the post was reckless and malicious," the statement said. "Ms. Jama will not tolerate Premier Ford's attempts to tarnish her reputation in such a public manner."
[...]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamil...ucus-1.7005056

[bigguy1231]

This is not the site for politics unless it effects development. This doesn't and should be removed.

[Dengler Avenue]

It can be combined with Queens Park politics in the main thread.

[Hawrylyshyn]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

This is not the site for politics unless it effects development. This doesn't and should be removed.

The thread is called "Business, Politics & the Economy" and politics are frequently discussed across SSP

(My apologies if it was initially posted somewhere else and has been moved here.)

[Innsertnamehere]

edit

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

This is not the site for politics unless it effects development. This doesn't and should be removed.

The mods are welcome to delete it if they feel it isn't appropriate for the politics thread. I think a news article presented without comment that affects a local riding is fair game.

[atnor]

She was a rabble rouser more than anything. Time for an adult to represent central Hamilton.

[PaperSun]

Not surprised I knew she was going to be trouble from the start. Hamilton will vote Orange no matter who the NDP run its really getting pathetic.

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

pity we have no viable alternatives

[SteelTown]

Not only is Jama kicked out of the NDP caucus she has been censured and therefore Hamilton Centre will not have a voice in the Legislature.

Hamilton-Centre MPP Sarah Jama has been censured over her comments about the Israel-Gaza war on the same day that she was removed from the Ontario NDP caucus.

On Monday, the Doug Ford government voted in favour of a motion that not only acts as a formal disapproval of the Hamilton-Centre MPP’s statements, but also prevents the Speaker from recognizing her until a formal apology is made and the social media post is deleted.

The motion passed 63-23, with the NDP voting against the censure.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-m...ents-1.6612600

[Beedok]

All very depressing, to see actually speaking out against war crimes get such severe pushback in our society.

[King&James]

So Hamilton Centre goes from leader of Opposition to now Independent Rookie who cannot speak in the Legislature. So much for any influence or effectiveness for the City.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by King&James

So Hamilton Centre goes from leader of Opposition to now Independent Rookie who cannot speak in the Legislature. So much for any influence or effectiveness for the City.

If anything I've noticed more provincial attention being paid to Hamilton lately since the suburban ridings have become swing ridings. Hamilton East-Stoney Creek going PC in a surprise vote in the 2022 election has helped, I suspect.

[johnnyhamont]

Hamilton won't re-elect Jama if she's still unaffiliated in the next election. Any bets on whether she'll reconcile with the party before then or whether we'll have a new MPP in 3 years?

If a new one, nobody contested Jama for the NDP nomination, so any guesses on who would come out of the woodwork? During the most recent byelection nomination process, the NDP prohibited straight, cis, white males as candidates so not sure if that criteria will still be in effect or not.

[matt602]

Originally Posted by johnnyhamont

the NDP prohibited straight, cis, white males as candidates

Yeah, they really are the minority in politics these days

[atnor]

Originally Posted by matt602

Yeah, they really are the minority in politics these days

It’s a stupid strategy that will prevent the NDP from forming government. People are tired of this shit and simply want responsible government whether they are black, white, straight, gay or anything between.

[ScreamingViking]

I think Jama is inexperienced. It's fine to have a strong opinion, but I think she was naïve about the best way of expressing it as a MPP (and being naïve isn't a rare quality amongst Ontario MPPs... nor party leaders! )

I hope Stiles was blunt about the importance of handling such opinions differently while a member of provincial parliament in whatever initial discussion was had with Jama.

That said, she's certainly gotten her name out there. I hope she uses that for betterment.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

I think Jama is inexperienced. It's fine to have a strong opinion, but I think she was naïve about the best way of expressing it as a MPP (and being naïve isn't a rare quality amongst Ontario MPPs... nor party leaders! )

I hope Stiles was blunt about the importance of handling such opinions differently while a member of provincial parliament in whatever initial discussion was had with Jama.

That said, she's certainly gotten her name out there. I hope she uses that for betterment.

I have met with Sarah numerous times, she has even helped me with some advocacy in the past, but I really appreciate how Steve Paikin wrote about her comments: https://www.sudbury.com/beyond-local...medium=Twitter

Sarah Jama is a hardcore idealogue with strong confident opinions that she holds close to her heart. She also likes to poke the bear. I respect her for not accepting the status quo on things, even if I don't always agree with her hard-line stances.

That all being said, poking the bear is fine when you aren't in a political party, but by the nature of being involved in politics, you must think politically. I think her comments overall are pretty mundane compared to most others, but the timing was not amazing, nor the lack of being clearly critical of Hamas at a time where Israelis in Canada were hurting.

I do not believe the centure nor removal are fair, considering unlike me, a white dude fully disconnected from the issue has time to reflect and respond, she has a personal connection that means it is a more emotional issue for her. Her comments were minor and quite restrained with that thought in mind.

Unfortunately the NDP leader obviously feels that Jama did not play the political game following the comments. I was honestly surprised that Sarah Jama ran for NDP, as she seems like a person that doesn't like to play the political game, and I thought that worked well for her. She is an advocate who likes to connect with the community, and as an MPP you have less control over what you can say and do. Many thought something like this would happen eventually because political partis are fundamentally designed to act as one large organization.

I'm curious what will happen next. I wonder if Jama will continue to pursue higher office, or will decide she's best had at the more grassroots level. That's up to her, but I think everyone made mistake along the way here, even if the result is beyond what should have been from the NDP. I'm also curious if there's more to the story.

[Corktowner]

Steve Paikin's piece is good.

I think the issue with Sarah Jama isn't just what she said or didn't say, but the fact that she was acting unilaterally and refusing to be a team player. She posted a statement that wasn't approved by the party and didn't align with the party's own messaging. When they ordered her to take it down, she refused and in fact pinned it to the top of her feed. She launched a lawsuit against Doug Ford without warning the party that she was doing so. On the day of the censure vote, she gave a speech in the legislature that was apparently very different than the speech the party expected her to give. Etc. etc. etc. How can the party leadership or the rest of the caucus possibly be expected to work with someone who acts like that?

Like Ritsman, I was really surprised when she announced she was running for the NDP, and I'm not all surprised that she unravelled. I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, but I think it was pretty much inevitable that she would go out in a blaze of glory and burn bridges at some point.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Corktowner

Steve Paikin's piece is good.

I think the issue with Sarah Jama isn't just what she said or didn't say, but the fact that she was acting unilaterally and refusing to be a team player. She posted a statement that wasn't approved by the party and didn't align with the party's own messaging. When they ordered her to take it down, she refused and in fact pinned it to the top of her feed. She launched a lawsuit against Doug Ford without warning the party that she was doing so. On the day of the censure vote, she gave a speech in the legislature that was apparently very different than the speech the party expected her to give. Etc. etc. etc. How can the party leadership or the rest of the caucus possibly be expected to work with someone who acts like that?

Like Ritsman, I was really surprised when she announced she was running for the NDP, and I'm not all surprised that she unravelled. I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, but I think it was pretty much inevitable that she would go out in a blaze of glory and burn bridges at some point.

Like I said, I like Sarah a lot and hope to work with her in the future. But I think a lot of people are framing the whole ordeal as in she is being removed from caucus for what she said, and it's got a lot more with how it was said. It sounds a lot like there was agreement behind closed doors, but then she publicly stated her personal opinions differently from what was agreed upon with an NDP letterhead.

No party will accept that, regardless of what is said, but especially in a tumultuous commentary context on the situation. I made a comment a few didn't like, that burning bridges was not a good plan for the left wing over a conflict that is ultimately not affecting us directly, nor do we have all the facts. We have the benefit of being able to take a step back, breathe, collect information and comment. I stand by that comment as we spend more time talking about comments on the conflict than the conflict itself. All while the right is happily staying out of it.

Even the public discourse on this topic has changed in the weeks since the Hamas attacks because with more information and context people have a different view. Hence my posting of the article. Because much of this issue was enflamed by timing.

Of course, by saying any of this, I make enemies. While I assuredly lean left, some of those on the left are ready to make enemies of all who don't completely agree with them. Political discourse has become increasingly toxic.