Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama says NDP removal was due to her ‘early’ call for ceasefire in Gaza

Hamilton Centre’s Independent member of provincial parliament (MPP) Sarah Jama says she believes she was removed from the Ontario NDP caucus because she called for a ceasefire in Gaza “too early” and because she called Israel an “apartheid state.”

Jama spoke to local reporters on Tuesday for the first time since she was removed from the NDP caucus last month. She said while she apologizes for any harm Jewish people feel based on her comments about the Israeli-Hamas conflict, she won’t retract what she said.

Her initial comments on Gaza prompted the Ford government to ban Jama from speaking in the provincial legislature — a move she said she’s hoping to reverse by pursuing a judicial review. 

“There was nothing wrong with my statement or what I put out,” Jama said while re-opening up her Hamilton Centre constituency office on Main Street East on Tuesday.

“Calling for a ceasefire, something that many people started to do weeks after I put out my statement … is not a bad thing.”

Jama doubles down on Gaza support

Tuesday morning was a chance for constituents to see Jama in-person since becoming an Independent MPP on Oct. 23.

The controversy around the 29-year-old MPP began after she posted a statement on Oct. 10 to X, formerly Twitter, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as an “end to all occupation of Palestinian land.” 

She focused largely on the Palestinian territories, saying “violence and retaliation rooted in settler colonialism have taken the lives of far too many innocent people.” She did not directly mention the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 which Israeli officials say killed up to 1,200 people. 

Since then, around 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.

Jama, who has spoken at recent rallies in Hamilton and Toronto in support of Palestinians, continues to call for a ceasefire — which Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles also did on Oct. 18 —  and stands by  her comment that Israel is an apartheid state.

A 2022 Amnesty International report formally accused the Israeli government of building an apartheid state in its occupied territories, but Canada has said it rejects the view that “Israel’s actions constitute apartheid.”

Ontario NDP says Jama was notified via email

Jama told reporters she learned of her removal from the NDP via email and has not heard from Stiles since. 

“I found out at the same time everyone else did, as I was rolling into my seat,” Jama said.

Jama’s initial statement prompted support, from groups such as Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and condemnation from groups such as The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

Stiles then announced she was kicking Jama out of the party caucus because she took “a number of unilateral actions” and contributed “to unsafe work environments” for staff. 

Jama said Tuesday she would prefer to have direct conversations with the party and Stiles, instead of using the media as “a human resources tool.”

“The door is open if people want to have those conversations,” she said. “Until then, I’ll be operating as an Independent and maybe looking for a different political home.”

WATCH: Jama describes being removed from NDP caucus

The Ontario NDP confirmed to CBC Hamilton Jama was informed of her removal via email.

It also said the party and Jama “share a lot of values.”

“While at this time there is no discussion of a return, New Democrats will continue working with MPP Jama and any MPP in the legislature that share the caucus’ values to deliver results for Ontarians,” read the statement.

Jama told CBC Hamilton there needs to be more room for conversation and dissent within political parties.

“We need appeal processes for when people are kicked out of their party and we need an actual process for how people are kicked out of their parties because from my understanding, that doesn’t exist.”

She told reporters as far as she understands it, there wasn’t caucus consensus to kick Jama out of the party and there was no meeting.

The party said there’s no requirement for there to be party consensus to remove someone from caucus, since it is the leader’s decision.

Stiles has faced calls to resign, as well as calls for the Ontario NDP to conduct a leadership review and reverse their decision to remove Jama from caucus.

Differing views from constituents 

At least 100 supporters showed up at her Main Street office in Hamilton’s Gibson neighborhood on Tuesday, including Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario. 

Some members of the NDP, including at least one sitting MPP, members of the Hamilton Muslim community and local labour representatives previously told CBC News they disagreed with party’s decision to remove Jama from caucus and supported her. 

Andrew Trembley, 40, lives in Hamilton Centre and was at the office re-opening on Tuesday. Jama will “say a lot of things that are tough to be said that need to be said,” he said. 

Marc Shessel, who lives in Hamilton Centre and is Jewish, said Jama brings what is lacking in politics. “She’s empathetic, she understands what’s going on in the community, she engages her community.”

But not all constituents are behind her. Adam Oldfield, a local business owner who ran for council in 2022, said he feels Jama should resign and trigger a byelection because the NDP dropped her and she can’t speak in Queen’s Park.

“We’re a ship in the water with no sail, no motor and no oars and we’re floating,” he said. “I feel very lost … where is our voice?”

He said constituents should be able to decide if she stays as the local MPP or if someone new takes over. “We voted for a party, we voted for a voice.”

Jama said Tuesday she can still support constituents, describing question period at Queen’s Park as “full of theatrics” and “a time where people aren’t actually listening and having honest debate.”

“What I’ve been receiving, other than scary death threats not from people in this riding, has been a lot of support locally for standing up for justice,” said Jama.

Jama added her office previously received death threats that led two staffers to quit out of fear. Her current team includes four unionized staff members.

She also said voicing support for Gaza residents doesn’t mean she’s ignoring other issues, like the city’s transit worker strike or the rising cost of living.

“I’m guided by justice and supporting those who are the most vulnerable.”