Ontario Premier Doug Ford has removed an MPP from his caucus for what he describes as “serious lapses in judgment.”
MPP Goldie Ghamari, who represented the riding of Carleton, was ejected from the Progressive Conservative caucus, the party announced in a statement on June 28.
“This decision follows repeated instances of serious lapses in judgment and a failure to collaborate constructively with caucus leadership and as a team member,” the statement says.
“While this decision did not come easily, it has become clear that MPP Ghamari can no longer continue in her role within our caucus.”
When asked for clarification on the specific reasons behind Ms. Ghamari’s removal, Mr. Ford’s office referred to the statement and did not provide additional comments.
Candice Coates, a spokesperson from Ms. Ghamari’s office, directed The Epoch Times to the MPP’s
social media response to the decision. “When one door closes, another one opens,” Ms. Ghamari wrote on X.
Earlier this week, Mr. Ford called Ms. Ghamari’s video conversation with British activist Tommy Robinson and co-founder of the English Defence League “deeply regrettable.” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles
said Mr. Ford should remove Ms. Ghamari from caucus over the issue, while Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie
accused the PC’s of “pandering to hate and Islamophobia.”
In a
June 26 post on X, Ms. Ghamari said she met with Mr. Robinson “because I am an Iranian-Canadian immigrant who has been speaking out on behalf of human rights violations by the Islamic Regime in Iran against Iranians in Iran and their attempts to spy and threaten Iranians in Canada.”
“We discussed [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) terrorism], its impact in Canada, and the 6-year effort of the Iranian-Canadian diaspora to put the IRGC on the Canadian terror list,” she wrote.
Mr. Robinson, who is in Canada on a podcast tour, was
arrested in Calgary on June 24 by the Canada Border Services Agency. The agency didn’t provide details behind the reason for the arrest, citing privacy reasons.
Ms. Ghamari voiced concerns about Mr. Robinson’s arrest in a
June 25 social media post, asking why another individual, whom she said had dressed up as a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and threatened Canadian politicians, including herself, was not arrested.
Mr. Robinson was
released on June 25 under certain conditions, including being banned from leaving Calgary. On June 27, he posted a
video on social media saying he would be heading to the immigration centre the following day to try to negotiate a deal to leave Canada.
