Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama to run as Independent after Ontario NDP blocks her from seeking nomination

Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama will run in the upcoming provincial election as an Independent candidate after the Ontario New Democrats rejected her attempt to rejoin the party. 

The Ontario NDP has decided she is not eligible to seek the local party nomination, Jama said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.

Premier Doug Ford confirmed last week he plans to trigger a 28-day election campaign on Wednesday.

A housing and disability activist, Jama won Hamilton Centre for the NDP in a byelection in March 2023 with 54 per cent of the votes. The riding is considered a stronghold for the New Democratic Party and was long held by former party leader Andrea Horwath. Horwath won the seat in 2022 but stepped down to run for Hamilton mayor shortly after. 

In October 2023, Jama was ousted from the party after she made a statement in support of Palestinians following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that prompted Israel's retaliation in Gaza. Jama called for an immediate ceasefire and an "end to all occupation of Palestinian land." 

She's been representing her riding independently since, but recently told CBC Hamilton she'd submitted a vetting package to the NDP to run as a candidate. 

"Since I was kicked out of caucus, I have kept the door to rejoining the party open," Jama said in her statement 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." 

NDP says process is confidential 

According to Jama, the party rejected her application because she had stated her intention to run as an Independent candidate if she wasn't accepted back into the party and because she was removed from the caucus.

Ontario NDP director Kevin Beaulieu said in a statement to CBC News the vetting process is confidential and didn't comment on the reasons her application was rejected. 

"Our party has a vetting and appeal process … that applies to any Ontarian who seeks to run for us," said Beaulieu. "In the case of Ms. Jama, as with all applicants, the process was followed, and she was notified of the decision." 

The nomination process is not shaping up to be "fair and democratic," said the executive committee of the NDP's Hamilton Centre Riding Association in a news release Friday. 

The association's president, Tom Baker, and vice-president David Mivasair previously told CBC Hamilton they supported Jama's return to the party. 

"On the eve of an election, one of the strongest NDP ridings in the province appears to be denied the opportunity to freely choose its candidate," their statement said.  

Last October, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles told CBC Metro Morning host David Common that as far as she knew, Jama wouldn't be the party's candidate for Hamilton Centre in the next provincial election. 

When Jama was kicked out of the party in 2023, Stiles said the MPP had "undertaken a number of unilateral actions that have undermined our collective work and broken the trust of her colleagues." 

Stiles also said at the time that Jama's comments had "contributed to an unsafe work environment for staff." 

Liberals, Greens announce Hamilton Centre candidates

The decision caused controversy for Stiles. The Kitchener Centre NDP riding association was among those who criticized the move, and called then for Stiles's resignation as a result. 

Meanwhile, Ford called Jama antisemitic, which prompted Jama's office to serve Ford with a cease and desist letter. The Ford government also banned Jama from speaking in the provincial legislature.

Since that time, Jama has said she has continued her constituency work independently, talking to thousands of residents about issues they want to see highlighted at Queen's Park. She's "excited" to continue this work, she said in her statement Monday. 

The NDP and Progressive Conservatives have not yet publicly announced their candidates for Hamilton Centre. 

Eileen Walker, a former justice of the peace and social worker, will run for the Liberal Party. Lucia Iannantuono, an environmental advocate and hardware designer, will run once again for the Ontario Greens.