Members of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party have tabled a censure motion against Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama for comments made on social media with regard to the Israel–Hamas conflict.
Violence broke out in the Middle East after a surprise attack by the Hamas terrorist group on Israel on Oct. 7 that left about 1,400 dead. The group has also taken some Israelis hostage, and Israel is striking back at targets in Gaza.
Ms. Jama
posted comments on X, formerly Twitter, using NDP letterhead on Oct. 10, calling for an immediate cease-fire and referring to Israel’s actions as “apartheid.”
“We are seeing this definition of apartheid in real time through the continued violation of human rights in Gaza through the use of white phosphorous chemicals, the withholding of access to food, fuel, electricity, and water, and the destruction of the only exit from Gaza that isn’t controlled by the State of Israel—the Rafah border,” the post said.
“We must look to the solution to end this cycle of death and destruction: end all occupation of Palestinian land and end apartheid,” Ms. Jama wrote.
“Canada must hold true to its history of peacemaking, and refrain from military intervention. My heart genuinely goes out to all those impacted by this on-going violence.”
Markham-Stouffville MPP and Housing Minister Paul Calandra put forward the
censure motion, which would allow the House speaker to “not recognize the Member for Hamilton Centre in the House until the Member retracts and deletes her statements on social media and makes an apology in her place in the House.”
Mr. Calandra’s motion called Ms. Jama’s conduct “disreputable,” and “antisemitic.”
The motion also “demands the Member desist from further conduct that is inappropriate and unbecoming of a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.”
Mr. Calandra said he expected the motion to pass.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say that Conservatives are feeling very passionate about this and that it will see a very large, almost unanimous vote of support from the Conservative caucus,” Mr. Calandra told reporters on Oct. 16, according to
Global News.
Leader of the Official Opposition NDP Marit Stiles said that Ms. Jama has already offered an apology for the comments.
“MPP Jama’s comments caused harm, and she apologized for that,” said a
statement attributed to Mr. Stiles on the NDP website.
The day after she posted the comments, Ms. Jama posted
an apology.
“I heard many voices yesterday raising concerns about my post. I hear them—and above all, I understand the pain that many Jewish and Israeli Canadians, including my own constituents, must be feeling. I apologize,” she wrote.
“To be clear, I unequivocally condemn terrorism by Hamas on thousands of Israeli civilians. I also believe that Israel’s bombardment and siege on civilians in Gaza, as was also noted by the United Nations, is wrong,” Ms. Jama posted.
Ms. Stiles said that the Progressive Conservatives’ move was “drastic.”
“Removing an elected MPP’s ability to speak in the Legislature is a drastic step that shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Ms. Stiles wrote.
Opposition Calls Motion a ‘Distraction’
Ms. Stiles said that the government was using the censure motion to distract from an RCMP investigation.“Mr. Ford is desperate to move the discussion away from the fact that he and his government are under a criminal investigation by the RCMP, and we urge him not to use this horrific conflict for his own political gain,” she said, referring to an RCMP investigation looking into the Ontario government’s authorization of housing development within the protected Greenbelt. Premier Doug Ford issued an apology in September for its actions amending the Greenbelt Plan boundary, created in 2005 to protect farmland. The move saw 7,400 acres across 15 sites become part of the government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.
Ms. Stiles said MPPs should be calling for peace in the Middle East.
“Now is a time to come together to advocate for peace and an end to this bloodshed that has already taken too many lives in Israel and Palestine.”
Andrew Chen contributed to this report.
