OTTAWA — It’ll be a party of one for a contentious Ontario MPP.
Ousted by the Ontario NDP caucus just months after winning a byelection, Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama found on Monday that she’ll be running as an independent in the upcoming provincial election after the party rejected her bid to rejoin.
“After many months of back-and-forth with the Ontario NDP, despite provincial council unanimously voting that I should have the right to seek nomination in Hamilton Centre, and Hamilton District Labour Council urging the ONDPO to repair its relationship with me, I have been told by the Ontario NDPO that my application has been rejected,” Jama wrote in a news release on Monday.
Winning her seat as an NDP candidate in March 2023, Jama’s troubling statements about the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks — and her continued history of anti-Israel remarks — prompted the party to boot her from caucus that October.
Of particular concern were social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war, which she referred to as “apartheid.”
An apology was later posted online, but Jama didn’t retract the original statement — she was kicked out of the NDP caucus soon after.
In a statement, Ontario NDP provincial director Kevin Beaulieu declined to provide details on why Jama’s bid to rejoin the party was quashed.
“Our party has a vetting and appeal process, approved by our Provincial Council, and that process applies to any Ontarian who seeks to run for us,” he said, explaining the process is confidential.
“In the case of Ms. Jama, as with all applicants, the process was followed, and she was notified of the decision.”
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