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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PatHamilton47 (talk | contribs) at 16:06, 31 October 2024 (→Support for intifada: Irrelevant and misleading. This entry misappropriates Sarah Jama repeating a common protest slogan that is only intended to promote the political and national emancipation of Palestine, rather than promoting violence against any party.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sarah Jama MPP (born 1994 or 1995) is a Canadian politician and disability justice activist who has served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Hamilton Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since March 2023.

As an Independent Member of Parliament, she has introduced a number of private member's bills to the Ontario Legislature. These have been geared towards enhancing environmental protections (by eliminating Site Specific Standards exemptions for emissions), advocating for the rights of renters by advocating for the elimination of Above-Guideline Rent Increases, and introducing a private members bill calling for an amendment to the Residential Tenancies Act to grant collective bargaining rights to residential tenants. Furthermore, she has spoken many times against Premier Doug Ford's push towards privatization in Ontario's healthcare system. In addition, she has been a longstanding advocate for disabled Ontarians, introducing private members bills geared towards regulating accessibility in new-build housing and increasing ODSP and OW payments according to the market price of rental properties in the tenant's city of residence, to better accommodate the escalating cost-of-living. Since Premier Doug Ford introduced legislation banning the development of new bike lanes across the province except in circumstances deigned worthy by the Ford Government, and providing channels for the Progressive Conservatives to allocate Ontario tax revenue towards the removal of existing bike safety infrastructure, MPP Jama has spoken in favour of bike lanes as a safe, reliable alternative to automobile commuting that will ease congestion.

Jama first became involved in accessibility advocacy as a student at McMaster University. She later co-founded the Disability Justice Network Ontario in 2018 and the Hamilton Encampment Support Network in 2021, focusing on affordable housing access. In 2021, Jama was arrested by police in Beasley Park in central Hamilton at a protest against homeless encampment evictions in the city, but the charges against her were dropped.

Jama was elected as the MPP for Hamilton Centre in March 2023 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP). She replaced Andrea Horwath, who stepped down as MPP to run for the mayor of Hamilton.

On October 10, 2023, Jama made a social media post criticizing Israel's targeting of civilians in Palestine, and calling for a ceasefire. She later apologized for any possible offence to Jewish or Israeli Canadian constituents, clarifying that she unequivocally condemns "terrorism by Hamas" and that "violence against civilians is never justified, and there is no military solution to this conflict", but left the initial call for ceasefire intact. On October 23, 2023, ONDP Leader Marit Stiles and Senior Staff chose to remove Jama from the ONDP caucus as a reaction to her call for ceasefire, a call the ONDP echoed themselves weeks later. Jama has since served as an independent MPP. In October 2023, Premier Doug Ford chose to censure Jama in response to her call for ceasefire, a move Marit Stiles said was taken strictly to distract from the scandal that had embroiled Ford and his Progressive Conservatives in the weeks prior, stemming from his attempt to construct mansions on Greenbelt land.

Background

Jama, a Somali Canadian Muslim, was born with cerebral palsy and uses a walker or wheelchair for mobility.

She attended McMaster University, where she obtained a social sciences degree. At McMaster, she ran for student union presidency, and was disqualified for exceeding campaign spending limits and retweeting a "Bad Taste" article. Her disqualification was lifted on appeal, and she came in second upon re-tabulation of the votes.

Activism

In 2014 she wrote on disability justice issues for the magazine of the Young Communist League of Canada, Rebel Youth. In 2016 she served as Ontario director for the National Educational Association of Disabled Students, and was named one of Hamilton's "most interesting people" by the CBC for her work in organizing an "Anti-Racism Action Initiative" and her disability justice activism. Jama was involved in accessibility advocacy and pro-Palestine advocacy at McMaster University.

Jama co-founded the Disability Justice Network Ontario in September 2018 and co-founded the Hamilton Encampment Support Network in 2021, focusing on affordable housing access. In February 2021, she appeared before the Senate of Canada's legal and constitutional affairs committee to argue against the proposed Bill C-7, which she said made euthanasia more accessible for people with mental health disabilities, rather than providing mental health support.

In 2021, Jama was arrested by police in Beasley Park in central Hamilton at a protest against homeless encampment evictions in the city. She was charged with obstructing police and assaulting a police officer. Charges against her were later withdrawn after she entered into a peace bond. The peace bond prohibited her from crossing police caution tape, interfering with police operations related to homeless people, and participating in illegal or violent demonstrations.

Politics

2022

Jama sought the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) nomination for member of Provincial Parliament (MPP; a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of Ontario) in the Hamilton Centre provincial by-election, after former MPP and NDP leader Andrea Horwath resigned to run for mayor. Jama was named the NDP candidate in October 2022.

2023

Jama's campaign drew controversy over a statement she made in 2021 that Israel is funding "the killing of people here locally and globally", for which she later apologized.

On 16 March 2023, Jama was elected as the MPP for Hamilton Centre, garnering 9,477 votes, comprising 54% of the vote.

Khader Adnan controversy

In May 2023, Jama retweeted a post about the death of Palestinian prisoner and hunger-striker Khader Adnan, a former spokesperson for of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada. The post called him a "martyr for freedom". Both B’nai Brith Canada and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs criticized Jama for sharing the post, B'nai Brith noting that he was a convicted terrorist. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East opined that Jama was being "unfairly attacked" for retweeting the statement and noted "It would be wrong for the ONDP to punish their MPP for drawing attention to a powerful example of non-violent struggle against Israeli apartheid".

Censure by the Legislature

On 10 October 2023, Jama released a statement calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, and writing about what she described as "continued violation of human rights in Gaza" by Israel. Although her initial statement focused upon calling for ceasefire, she later condemned "terrorism by Hamas" and affirmed that "violence against civilians is never justified, and this conflict does not have a military solution". She also called for the "end all occupation of Palestinian land" and offered her sympathies to people mourning on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

Her statement was criticized by Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles, although Stiles joined Jama's call for ceasefire mere weeks later and prompted Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser, Premier Doug Ford, and Zionist political organizations such as Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs to call for her resignation from caucus. Ford has been accused by ONDP Leader Marit Stiles of seizing on Jama's call for ceasefire to distract from the substantial Greenbelt development scandal that had enveloped him and his Progressive Conservative government in the weeks prior. In response to Ford's statement, Jama served his office a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue him for libel. Stiles privately met with Jama asking her to remove the statement and apologize; Jama subsequently apologized for her posts in a reply to them about 24 hours later on Twitter, but refused to remove the statements and instead pinned her statement to the top of her feed on X.

On 23 October 2023, the legislature voted 63-23 to censure Jama in response to her comments. The NDP voted against the censure, with Stiles noting that it was an "extreme motion" and that "We do not believe the government should use its majority to strip a member of their right to speak and vote. This is an extreme step that will disenfranchise the voters of Hamilton Centre". As a result, she is banned from speaking in the chamber until and unless she retracts and deletes her original statement and formally apologizes.

On May 23, 2024, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, by way of a three-justice panel, dismissed her request for a judicial review of her censure.

Removal from the NDP caucus

On the day Doug Ford issued the censure, Jama was also removed from the NDP caucus by Leader Marit Stiles and her Senior Staff. Party representatives said that Senior Staff had worked with Jama on a statement, but it differed from her affirmation on the floor of the legislature that she continues to advocate for ceasefire and the protection of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

Letter denying politically-motivated misinformation about October 7, 2023 assault

In November 2023, Jama signed an open letter denying the validity of some allegations raised by Israel in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 assault. Among those claims were allegations that babies had been systematically targeted by Hamas, a claim that was later repudiated. However, the letter also condemned allegations that Israeli women were subjected to rape and sexual violence during 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which were later verified. On November 21, her office stated that Jama had rescinded her support for the letter.

2024

Keffiyeh controversy

In April 2024, House Speaker Ted Arnott introduced a keffiyeh ban in the Ontario legislature, saying it was being worn to make an overt political statement, which is against the rules of the legislature. In the days following the ban, she refused to remove her keffiyeh, and Arnott ordered Jama to leave the chamber and she was subsequently banned from legislature for the rest of the day. This event repeated itself numerous times at Queen's Park, and two other members of the NDP followed in her footsteps. On May 6, 2024, Ted Arnott loosened the rules surrounding the keffiyeh to allow it to be worn in the Queen's Park assembly building legislative precinct except inside the house legislative chamber and galleries. As recently as May 6, 2024, Jama was ordered to leave the chambers. Jama said she had no intention of ending her stand of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Electoral record

2023 Hamilton Centre provincial by-election

See also

• Somali Canadians

References

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41. Bobby Hristova (October 16, 2022). "NDP candidate Jama acclaimed" CBC.
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46. ^ Stone, Laura (3 May 2023). "Ontario NDP distances itself from newly elected MPP's Twitter repost about Palestinian hunger striker". The Globe and Mail.
47. Geenen, Kevin (9 May 2023). "Hamilton Centre NDP MPP Sarah Jama under fire for tweet calling convicted terrorist 'martyr of freedom'". The Hamilton Independent.
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67. "U of A Sexual Assault Centre signs Jama's letter denying Jewish rapes". Toronto Sun. 18 November 2023 . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
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External links

• Member profile at Ontario Legislative Assembly
• Jama's official website

• 1990s births
• Living people
• 21st-century Canadian women politicians
• 21st-century Somalian women
• Activists from Toronto
• Anti-Zionism in Canada
• Antisemitism in Canada
• Black Canadian politicians
• Black Canadian women
• Canadian activists with disabilities
• Canadian disability rights activists
• Canadian Muslims
• Canadian people of Somali descent
• Canadian politicians with disabilities
• McMaster University alumni
• Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs
• People with cerebral palsy
• Police abolitionists
• Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario
• Politicians from Toronto
• Somalian Muslims
• Wheelchair users
• Women MPPs in Ontario
• Independent MPPs in Ontario
• Politicians affected by a party expulsion process
• 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario