Sarah Jama

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Sarah Jama
File:Sarah Jama in 2018 (cropped).jpg
Jama in 2018
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Hamilton Centre
Assumed office
March 16, 2023
Preceded by Andrea Horwath
Personal details
Born 1994/1995 (age 29–30)[1]
Toronto, Ontario
Political party Independent (October 2023-present)
Other political
affiliations		 New Democratic (until October 2023)
Residence Hamilton, Ontario
Alma mater McMaster University
Occupation
  • Politician
  • activist
Website www.sarahjama.ca

Sarah Jama MPP (born 1994/1995)[1] is a Canadian politician and disability rights activist who has served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Hamilton Centre since March 2023. Originally elected as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, Jama was expelled from the NDP caucus on October 23, 2023 for not abiding by the terms of an agreement with party leader Marit Stiles by taking a "number of unilateral actions", including repeated controversial statements on the 2023 Israel–Hamas war and threatening Premier Doug Ford with legal action without first consulting with her caucus. [2] She remains in the legislature as an independent MPP.

Prior to her election to the Legislative Assembly, she was the executive director and co-founder of Disability Justice Network Ontario.

Background

Jama was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility.[3] After graduating from McMaster University with a social science degree, Jama settled in Hamilton, Ontario.[1][4] She is of Somali descent.[5]

Activism

In 2016, Jama 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.[6] Jama co-founded the Disability Justice Network Ontario in September 2018.[1] She had previously served as Ontario director for the National Educational Association of Disabled Students,[7] and had written on disability justice issues for the magazine of the Young Communist League of Canada, Rebel Youth.[8] 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 supports.[9]

In early 2021, she cofounded the Hamilton Encampment Support Network, focusing on affordable housing access.[1] That same year, Jama received media attention when she was arrested in Hamilton while at a protest against homeless encampment evictions in the city.[10] She was accused of obstructing and assault of a police officer.[11] Charges were later withdrawn after she entered into a peace bond.[12][13]

Politics

In July 2022, Jama announced that she would seek the NDP nomination in the Hamilton Centre by-election, after former MPP and NDP leader Andrea Horwath resigned to run for mayor.[14][15] Jama was acclaimed as the NDP candidate in October 2022.[16][17] Jama's campaign garnered controversy after her statements describing Israel as an apartheid state resurfaced, leading to a request by B'nai Brith Canada for the NDP to drop her as a candidate.[18] She later apologized for her statements.[19]

On March 16, 2023, Jama was elected as the MPP for Hamilton Centre, garnering 54.28 per cent of the vote.[20][21]

In October 2023, following the mass killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas which sparked the Israel–Hamas war, Jama generated controversy for a statement referring to "apartheid" and describing "continued violation of human rights in Gaza" by Israel.[22] She also called for the "end [of] all occupation of Palestinian land and end [of] apartheid" and did not make mention of the attack on Israeli citizens.[23] Her statement was criticized by Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles, and prompted Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser, Premier Doug Ford, and the Holocaust education group Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center to call for her resignation from caucus.[23] Ford also publicly stated that Jama had a "long and well-documented history of antisemitism" and "hateful views", and that she "publicly support[ed] the rape and murder of innocent Jewish people."[22][24] In response to Ford's statement, Jama served Ford's office a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue him for libel.[22] Although Jama released her statements under NDP letterhead, the party was not made aware of the pending statement and had not endorsed Jama's positions.[25] Stiles privately met with Jama asking her to remove the statement and apologize; Jama subsequently apologized for the posts in a reply to them on X but refused to remove the statements in defiance of party direction.[25]

On October 23, 2023, the Conservative government voted to censure Jama in response to her comments, with all present NDP members voting against the censure.[26] Shortly thereafter, in light of Jama's actions over the preceding days, it was announced that Jama was being removed from the NDP caucus.[27] In an official party statement, Stiles noted that Jama had been uncooperative with NDP colleagues, making unilateral decisions without party endorsement, endangering the work environment of NDP staff, and had broken the terms of an agreement made between Stiles and Jama which would have kept her affiliated with the party following Jama's statements on the Israel-Hamas war.[25][2]

Electoral record

2023 Hamilton Centre provincial by-election

Ontario provincial by-election, Hamilton Centre
Resignation of Andrea Horwath
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Sarah Jama 9,477 54.28 -2.98
Liberal Deirdre Pike 3,542 20.07 +7.04
Progressive Conservative Pete Wiesner 2,690 15.52 -0.95
Green Lucia Iannantuono 1,206 6.93 -1.84
New Blue Lee Weiss Vassor 148 0.84 -0.82
Electoral Reform Peter House 121 0.69
Libertarian Mark Snow 109 0.60
Independent Matthew Lingard 98 0.58
Independent Nathalie Xian Yi Yan 51 0.29 -0.21
Independent John Turmel 38 0.21
Total valid votes 17,612 +
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots -
Turnout 21.97 -15.97
Eligible voters 80,172
New Democratic hold Swing -5.01
Source: Elections Ontario[28]

References

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External links

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  10. ↑ Hamilton police Beasley Park arrest CBC
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Encampment charges withdrawn CBC
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Disability activist Sarah Jama to seek nomination as Ontario NDP candidate for Hamilton Centre CBC
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ NDP candidate Jama acclaimed CBC
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