By Tom Baker, President, Hamilton Centre ONDP Constituency Association
Over the past two years I have been part of a grassroots activist and labour campaign in the Hamilton Centre Ontario New Democratic Party Riding Association that led to a young, disabled, Black, social justice fighter, Sarah Jama, winning the nomination to be the ONDP candidate in November 2022. Close to 600 new members joined the party at that time: defenders of Palestinian human rights, trade union leaders and militants, anti-war activists, LGBTQI+ folks, environmentalists, antipoverty activists, and more. This massive grassroots mobilization led to Sarah’s overwhelming victory as the new MPP for Hamilton Centre in the March 2023 provincial by-election, attracting nearly 10,000 votes.
She was an enthusiastic new addition to a rather moribund ONDP caucus. She brought with her new methods of resistance against a stacked system. From the first day she rolled into Queen’s Park, she sought to give a voice to the broad working class and oppressed communities. She openly criticized “the political system that continues to oppress, deflect and ignore the needs of people”. Sarah represents a new kind of politics that is rooted in truth, and fighting the power of those who have called the shots for so long. She is a brilliant organizer who listens to people’s ideas and works with them to push back and win.
The party leadership could not tolerate this independent-thinking young radical. Tensions mounted. In October 2023 when the Palestinian resistance surged, Sarah stood alone in the Legislature denouncing Israeli apartheid, the occupation of Palestinian lands, and calling for a ceasefire. Within a few days, this led to her being expelled from her own NDP caucus of MPPs, without any appeal process and being censured by the Ford government, and thus blocked from speaking in the legislature. Despite a motion passed by the ONDP Provincial Council to fight the censure, the ban remains in place and Hamilton Centre constituents are without a voice in the Legislature.
After her expulsion from the ONDP Caucus, hundreds of new members and disappointed NDP veterans resigned across the province. Activity levels and local fund raising crashed. However, a number of party activists maintained their memberships in order to organize against this unjust ejection. A motion to reinstate MPP Sarah Jama to the ONDP Caucus received the support of 33 per cent of the party’s Provincial Council in November 2023.
While hoping again to be part of her ONDP Caucus, Sarah realized this might be a long fight and that she should not desert her constituents. Sarah and her followers created an Independent Constituency Association that has built a strong financial base, with an active membership that is rooted in the community. It carries out active year-round canvassing. At a recent large Independent Association nomination meeting, endorsers included federal NDP MPs, local trade union leaders and a broad range of community leaders and elected municipal officials.
It seems that the majority of Hamilton Centre NDP activists, labour and community leaders want to see Sarah re-elected, preferably as the ONDP candidate; if not, then as an Independent. Her supporters are confident that a fair and democratic process of candidate selection will result in Sarah Jama being the ONDP candidate for Hamilton Centre. If another NDP candidate is imposed on the riding association to run against MPP Sarah Jama, the left vote would be split, most likely resulting in the election of a Conservative candidate.
Sarah Jama and her supporters are demonstrating new ways of advancing the struggles of social justice, trade unions and other community based organizations while fighting for political power. Her success demonstrates the value of actually listening to those in struggle, providing direct support to them, creating independent working class political institutions that will fight the bosses, the big landlords’ parties, and win government.
The party brass and Israel lobbyists like CIJA are correct to fear Sarah’s example. She and her mobilized supporters are a beacon of hope for those in struggle for basic human rights and survival. She strives to unite the oppressed on the basis of concrete demands and to challenge a genocidal and exploitative system.
She denounces this system that continues to oppress, to deflect, and to ignore the needs of people. She sees no contradiction between fighting for meaningful reforms inside Queen’s Park and mobilizing in mass action.
A successful campaign to re-elect MPP Sarah Jama will validate that to survive, the NDP must turn sharply to the left. Out of battles like the one to defend MPP Sarah Jama, we see the emergence of a new vanguard of militants who understand that political structures that support the capitalist system itself must be replaced by a genuine workers party, a revolutionary workers’ party.
All socialists should embrace and support MPP Sarah Jama’s re-election campaign.
Photo above by Cassadyysmith
