Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama says she will run as an Independent in the next election after the Ontario NDP rejected her bid to rejoin the party.
“After many months of back and forth with the Ontario NDP, despite provincial council unanimously voting that I should have the right to seek the nomination in Hamilton Centre … I have been told by the Ontario NDP that my application has been rejected,” Jama wrote in a statement issued on Monday.
“By denying my application to run for the nomination, the ONDP has stripped the people of Hamilton Centre of their fundamental right to a fair and democratic process and their right to choose a candidate they feel will best advocate for the needs of this riding,” she added.
Jama was expelled from the Ontario NDP caucus in October 2023 following a social media post that she made about the Israel-Hamas war, which drew criticism and accusations of anti-Semitism from Premier Doug Ford.
Jama posted a two-paragraph statement under Ontario NDP letterhead that made no mention of the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, instead focusing on the decades-long struggle of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, which she referred to as “apartheid.”
Her post included the hashtag “FreePalestine.”
Jama issued an apology, but refused to retract the statement. The Ford government then passed a motion to censure the Hamilton legislator.
Since then, Jama has been serving as an Independent in the legislature and has pushed for a judicial review of her censure, which was dismissed in court last May.
Jama says she received death threats at the height of the controversy and had left the door open to rejoining the Ontario NDP caucus in the future. However, those dreams were shattered this week after her nomination application was rejected.
According to Jama, party officials indicated that her application was denied because she was previously removed from the caucus and because she expressed her intention to run as an Independent candidate in the next election if she wasn’t welcomed back to the party.
“I remain unwavering in my commitment to the people of Hamilton Centre. I have accomplished so much in collaboration with the Hamilton Centre community as an Independent, and will continue the fight at Queen’s Park,” Jama said in a statement.
“Over the last few months, alongside the Hamilton Centre Independent Constituency Association, we’ve talked to thousands of neighbours about issues that they want to see highlighted at Queen’s Park,” she added. “I’m excited to continue this work.”
