Marit Stiles: I Want my MPP Back.

Hamilton Centre voted for Sarah Jama. We want her back.

As a constituent of Hamilton Centre, I am dismayed and, yes, angry, at the decision to remove MPP Sarah Jama from the ranks of the Ontario NDP caucus. This is a betrayal of the people of Hamilton Centre who overwhelming voted for MPP Jama in theMarch 2023 by-election and who are now abandoned by the NDP and the support infrastructure provided for her do her job effectively, that is, represent and assist the people of Hamilton Centre.

The statement on the Palestine/Israel conflict recently made by MPP Jama appears to have precipitated this drastic decision. Despite the carefully considered wording, it was not sufficiently critical of Hamas and raised objections from prominent pro-Israeli organizations, organizations that have previously attacked Sarah Jama for her comments in support of Palestinian human rights. MPP Jama stated the facts as presented by the UN and called for a ceasefire, an end to the occupation and expressed sympathy for all affected by the on-going violence.

I cannot help but note the irony that it is near identical to the message the NDP are tweeting and promoting. What’s the problem?

This “statement policing” about the conflict is playground politics and part of an attempt to control the narrative of an international decades-long conflict. This is what we’re preoccupied with when our own hospitals are struggling, children are languishing on wait lists for surgeries, families have been waiting years for disability supports both for at-home care and in the schools. This has been a distraction that Stiles has fallen for all because she has failed to come out and firmly support the right of her MPP to craft her own statement true to the core of her principles, which, it is important to point out, do not differ in substance from the NDP.

What’s the point in making a statement if it’s not your statement? If it’s just a carbon copy of what others are saying, who cares? Talking heads saying nothing. Blah, blah, blah.

In the press scrum after the vote, Stiles denied that Jama’s statement was the only factor in making her decision. She noted the “difficulty” in working with Sarah Jama, referenced vague safety concerns in the workplace and laid it all on the rookie MPP as the one not able to get along.

In another interview she said she didn’t want to “malign” MPP Jama, yet that’s exactly what she’s done by kicking her out without a caucus vote. That Sarah Jama is a Black woman who is now maligned as “difficult” fits into all the stereotypical biases that operate against diversity in the workplace. As a “progressive” I would think Stiles should know better and proceed accordingly. Is there no due process within caucus, no place for input from Jama’s constituents?

The question I’m finally left puzzling over is whether Stiles and the NDP party overlords are mature enough to deal with the challenges presented by a progressive, socially diverse movement. Do they have the leadership skills needed to recognize and effectively use the immense talents in the NDP caucus to advance their agenda? How many other bright and promising up-and-comers have become jaded or burnt out by having to suppress deeply held principles, forced to compromise for a future in politics? Some would argue that’s what politics is, compromise. But, I would respond, not on issues related to human rights, central to the Palestine/Israel conflict. There is no compromise on human rights.

The NDP voters of Hamilton Centre voted for Sarah Jama. It’s the job of the party leader to know their people and how to bring out and nurture their strengths. To toss people out with no support because it’s too “difficult” to work with a person who brings a principled approach to representation and government is not leadership. All our politicians should be “difficult” to work with in that regard. The people have had enough of mealy-mouthed say nothing statements by politicians who have sold out their principles for a six-figure salary and a “don’t rock the party boat” attitude.

We are stuck with a party-based system that demands its adherents become nothing more than mouthpieces of the party line. It is a disservice to democracy to tie people up with no space to accommodate personal principles or varying shades of policy differences. It’s part of the reason why people are turned off elections: they don’t see themselves as “group thinkers” and with no opportunity for nuance within the party, people check out of the system altogether saying: no one speaks for me. Not even the MPP/MP in the backbenches no one listens to.

The optics, if not the reality of this action are terrible.

At the time of writing, the Hamilton Centre Riding Association along with three other NDP riding associations (Beaches-East York, Etobicoke North, Kitchener Centre) and have issued statements condemning the decision and requesting the reinstatement of MPP Jama.

MPP Dr. Jill Andrew, commenting on X, stated that she was unaware of the decision to remove MPP Jama from the NDP caucus and further, that the NDP leadership misrepresented her position, indicating her support for the decision when she did not, in fact, support it. What is going on?

The backlash to this decision has been swift and very vocal on social media. Life long NDP supporters have stated they will cancel their membership and/or financial support and now feel the pull to park their vote elsewhere or disengage completely. While some have supported Stiles in her decision, I don’t think I’ve seen or heard anyone say: I think I’ll join the NDP now.

Marit Stiles needed to unequivocally back her MPP in making whatever statement MPP Jama felt appropriate to make in a conflict that has held the world hostage for decades. What are politicians if not activists of the most effective kind, the ones who can actually bring about change? Of course, the point is not lost that in the scheme of things, this international conflict is outside provincial jurisdiction.

Stiles failed in supporting her MPP and instead sacrificed her as a side show to the Ford follies. What Stiles got back in return is anyone’s guess for this has rebounded badly on her. She seemed a saviour for the party, like fresh air in a stale room, when she was acclaimed leader in February 2023. She emerged a strong and engaging spokesperson, channeling the energy of the grassroots anti-sprawl, protect the Greenbelt movements to spearhead calls for an investigation in the actions of the Ford government.

If she continues to listen to the people who have spoken out, she’ll make nice with Jama and bring her back into the fold so she can use her unique gifts to serve the people of Hamilton Centre and hold the corrupt Ford government to account. Otherwise, step aside and let a leader take charge, one who can work effectively with the most dedicated and committed of social activists without silencing their voices and cutting off their supporters to party privileges, such as they are.

The people of Hamilton Centre needed Stiles to stand up to the bully Doug Ford and his Conservative government. They need her to stand firm in their attempts to deflect any and all attention away from the RCMP criminal investigation into the corrupt Conservative lands deals regarding the Greenbelt. And they need her to continue to press for an investigation in the Ontario Place debacle.

If she can’t do that, she needs to step aside for someone who can.

The message needs to be refocused: The Ford government should not be casting stones about anyone’s integrity or principles. This is the message that needs to be driven home.

Not that Stiles couldn’t manage a passionate and committed rookie MPP.