Latest news with #SarahJama
CBC
25-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Who's got your vote in Hamilton Centre? Watch as most major party candidates make their case
Social Sharing When CBC Hamilton asked to hear from the candidates running for the major parties in Hamilton Centre, four of them visited our downtown studio and made their case to voters. Watch this collection of video interviews done with those candidates, recorded as the campaign neared its end. Voting for the Ontario general election takes place on Thursday. Incumbent candidate Sarah Jama is running as an Independent after she was prevented by the Ontario NDP from competing for the nomination this time. The housing and disability advocate won the seat in 2023 in a byelection as a member of the NDP, but was expelled from the party later that year. Instead, the NDP are running a first-time candidate, Hamilton family doctor Robin Lennox in the riding. Liberal candidate Eileen Walker is a retired Ontario Court Justice of the Peace. She told CBC Hamilton that she was inspired by Ontario Liberal party leader Bonnie Crombie to run in the riding. Green candidate Lucia Iannantuono, who works in electronics and hardware design, also ran in the byelection in 2023. These four candidates accepted the CBC's invitation to make their case to Hamilton Centre voters in interviews that can been seen in full in the videos below. PC Party candidate Sarah Bokhari declined the invitation saying, "unfortunately, we're unable to accommodate this request." Also running in Hamilton Centre are Mitch Novosad of the New Blue Party, a Mohawk College graduate and "lifelong" Hamilton resident, as well as Nathalie Xian Yi Yan, an Independent, who is a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. Green candidate Lucia Iannantuono Hamilton Centre: Lucia Iannantuono says save Greenbelt but also protect water and farmland from PCs 8 hours ago Duration 15:59 Lucia Iannantuono studied electrical engineering and works in electronics and hardware design. She's running in the provincial election with the Green Party which she says is the "ideas engine" of the opposition parties. Iannantuono told CBC Hamilton how she thinks the Green Party is different from the NDP, and how she helps people connect the climate crisis to every day challenges they face. Independent candidate Sarah Jama Hamilton Centre: Sarah Jama says voters know I'll "fight for them... not just stick to status quo" 8 hours ago Duration 11:08 Sarah Jama is running in the provincial election as an Independent candidate to retain the Hamilton Centre seat she won in 2023 as a member of the New Democratic Party. She was removed as a member of the NDP caucus after a social media post which called for a ceasefire as well as an "end to all occupation of Palestinian land." She was also censured by the Ontario government which prevented her from speaking in the legislature. That censure ends after this election. NDP candidate Robin Lennox Hamilton Centre: Dr. Robin Lennox on hallway healthcare and U.S. tariffs 8 hours ago Duration 14:05 Dr. Robin Lennox is a Hamilton family physician running for the NDP in the Hamilton Centre riding in the provincial election. She spoke with CBC Hamilton about U.S. tariffs as well as what she describes as a crisis in healthcare and how underfunding the system prevents patients from getting the care they need. Liberal candidate Eileen Walker Hamilton Centre: Lucia Iannantuono says save Greenbelt but also protect water and farmland from PCs 8 hours ago Duration 15:59 Lucia Iannantuono studied electrical engineering and works in electronics and hardware design. She's running in the provincial election with the Green Party which she says is the "ideas engine" of the opposition parties. Iannantuono told CBC Hamilton how she thinks the Green Party is different from the NDP, and how she helps people connect the climate crisis to every day challenges they face.
CBC
25-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Hamilton Centre: Sarah Jama says voters know I'll "fight for them... not just stick to status quo"
Sarah Jama is running as an Independent candidate to retain the Hamilton Centre seat she won in 2023 as a member of the New Democratic Party. She was removed as a member of the NDP caucus after a social media post which called for a ceasefire as well as an "end to all occupation of Palestinian land." She was also censured by the Ontario government which prevented her from speaking in the legislature. That censure ends after this election.
CBC
20-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ontario Votes 2025: Hamilton Centre
Social Sharing Hamilton Centre has voted for the Ontario NDP in every election since the riding was created in 2005. This election will test how orange the lower city riding really is. Incumbent candidate Sarah Jama, a disability and anti-racism advocate, won a byelection in 2023 for the NDP, but was expelled from the party months later. She's running again — this time as an Independent. The NDP has put forward a first-time candidate, Robin Lennox, a family doctor who works with patients using substances. Members of Hamilton Centre's NDP riding association did not support her nomination and are supporting Jama. At a candidates debate on Feb. 18, Jama said she's hearing from voters that they're "really excited about moving forward with a new form of politics" that isn't about party messaging or the party leader. Lennox said she's not concerned about vote splitting between Jama and herself, as a lot of voters she's met say they'll continue to vote for the NDP. "I still see a vibrant NDP community, which is very heartening," Lennox said. The riding encompasses some of Hamilton's downtown core and runs from Hamilton Harbour to the Niagara Escarpment and between Kenilworth Avenue S. to the east and Highway 403 to the west. Over 126,000 people live in Hamilton Centre and more than half are renters, according to the 2021 census. The average individual income in the riding is about $44,600 — lower than that the provincial average of $56,300. Liberal candidate Eileen Walker and Green candidate Lucia Iannantuono also participated in the debate, which aired on Cable 14. The four candidates focused on how they'd address homelessness and high rents, and all voiced their support for doubling Ontario Disability Support Program payments. PC candidate Sarah Bokhari did not attend the debate. CBC Hamilton sent a survey to major party candidates, or their party representatives. Their responses, edited for length and clarity, are reflected below. In addition, several of the Hamilton Centre candidates participated in interviews with CBC Hamilton, to be released in coming days. Also running for MPP in this riding is Mitch Novosad with the New Blue Party and Nathalie Xian Yi Yan as an Independent. Sarah Bokhari, PC Bokhari did not fill out CBC Hamilton's survey. Her LinkedIn profile says she's an executive assistant to the parliamentary assistant. Lucia Iannantuono, Green Iannantuono, 28, studied electrical engineer and works in electronics and hardware design. She said the Green Party is the "ideas engine" of the opposition parties. "We know how to make a big impact with each MPP at Queen's Park," she said. If elected, she will push the Green Party's plan for building "missing middle housing," investing in transit and expanding Ontario Health Insurance Plan to cover mental health care and addictions treatment, among other initiatives. Sarah Jama, Independent Jama, 30, was elected MPP in 2023. Before that she was executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, taught at McMaster University and created a curriculum for disability-related history. "Party politics has left us behind," Jama said. "I have the freedom to represent the riding without being dragged into party-based arguments that often centre on Toronto." She said if re-elected, she plans to address issues related to cost of living, the environment and health care, which are "deeply interconnected." Robin Lennox, NDP Lennox, a family doctor, did not fill out CBC Hamilton's survey as of Feb. 20. Her campaign website says she launched an in-patient substance use service at two hospitals and a peer support program. She was also part of the team that opened Hamilton's first and only supervised consumption site, which the Progressive Conservative government plans to close in March. "My patients have taught me the true meaning of resilience, and they also know what it is we need to do to eliminate homelessness: low-barrier affordable and supportive housing and income assistance that moves beyond legislated poverty," Lennox said. Eileen Walker, Liberal Walker, 60, is a retired Justice of the Peace, who also worked as a social worker for 21 years. "I am concerned about our local economy, and keeping jobs in our community," she said. "I see real opportunity to improve the lives of families in Hamilton Centre."
CBC
27-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
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.
