Disability activist Sarah Jama to be acclaimed as Ontario NDP candidate for Hamilton Centre
Jama to have nomination meeting and dance party on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m., at the Worker's Arts and Heritage Museum
It turns out there's only one person who wants to replace Andrea Horwath as the Ontario NDP candidate for Hamilton Centre.
Prominent Hamilton activist Sarah Jama tweeted Sunday morning she will be acclaimed as the NDP candidate running for member of provincial parliament in the riding.
She said there will be a nomination meeting and dance party on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m., at the Worker's Arts and Heritage Museum on Stuart Street.
The NDP confirmed to CBC Hamilton Jama is the only approved candidate. That means she'll be acclaimed on Nov. 3.
Jama announced her intention to seek the nomination in late July, not long after Horwath stepped down as MPP. The former party leader later announced she'd run for Hamilton mayor.
"There are people who have been involved for decades and decades in the NDP who have maintained the status quo and I think what I bring to that is a peaceful disruption," Jama — a 28-year-old Black, disabled caregiver and renter in downtown Hamilton who grew up using the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) — previously told CBC Hamilton.
Jama had a hand in political campaigns — for Horwath, Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green and Ward 3 incumbent Nrinder Nann. She said she's also served on the NDP's federal council and executive.
Jama is the co-founder of the the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, a founding board member of the Hamilton Transit Riders' Union and has worked with numerous organizations like the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, the Hamilton Community Benefits Network and Hamilton CareMongering, a COVID-19 community support initiative.
She's also well known for her activism, which has prompted criticism from some in the community, including current Mayor Fred Eisenberger and police.
Those efforts included staying at an encampment in front of city hall for weeks, placing a coffin in front of Eisenberger's home later and spray painting "Defund The Police" on Main Street — all of which occurred in 2020 — among other actions. Charges against her and five other activists related to encampment protests in 2021 were dropped earlier this year.
She has also spoken out widely against the expansion of Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law and the impact on disabled and racialized people as a result.
When asked about what she says to people who think she's too radical, Jama pointed to her experience with campaigns and community groups.
"The parts of my activism that make people uncomfortable were meant to do so because ... when you don't have power and all you have are the people around you to push for change, sometimes that means focusing on shifting the narrative," she said.
"What I'm doing is now is attempting to do now is seek power ... so I can actually have a seat at the table."
Other party candidates ready to run in byelection
Jama said she'll fill what she sees as a gap in leadership by being on the ground. She'll continue to that kind of work, she said, such as visiting community kitchens and speaking to people at safe injection sites, among other things.
Jama said Horwath has helped steer the NDP party, but being party leader can take away from being visible in Hamilton.
Jama said she would also like to redistribute money from the elected offices in Hamilton Centre to community efforts. She would also fight to raise ODSP funding and social assistance to a living wage, as well as making rent more affordable, she said, working toward a guaranteed basic income and improving the state of hospitals' emergency departments.
After Horwath officially resigned, Premier Doug Ford gets six months to call a byelection, as laid out in the Legislative Assembly Act. Parties do not need to wait for a writ in order to nominate a candidate to run, however.
In the recent provincial election, running against Horwath in Hamilton Centre were Progressive Conservative Sarah Bokhari, Liberal Ekaterini Dimakis and for the Greens, Sandy Crawley.
Dimakis told CBC Hamilton on Sunday she intends to run again when there's a byelection.
"As for Sarah's acclamation, I wish to congratulate her," she said.
"The election could be called at any time and we're absolutely ready," Jama wrote on Twitter.
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