I’ll be speaking on behalf of our caucus. I want to begin by saying that it was a good thing this morning that we voted for motion 18. It was important to condemn the horrifying Hamas terrorist attack of October 7 and to affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself.

I spent of a lot of time thinking about this in the last couple of weeks, reading, rereading things, talking to people in my riding, here in Toronto, thinking about what’s the best way forward for all of us, because I know that in these literally terrifying, scary times, uncertain times, we have to come together. We have to support each other.

Last night, I was home. It was about 11 o’clock at night—I had a lot of meetings yesterday—and my daughter, Kirsten, called me. Kirsten is 45. She’s got two young children. She’s very smart—an improvement on the previous generation, as my dad used to say. She called me—it was late—and I’m glad that she did, because she asked me to explain motion 19. She wanted to know what it meant. I’m glad she called me, because if there’s one thing she knows, it’s what the right questions are. We know all our kids know that, and we find that out at a young age. It doesn’t change.

She asked me, “Isn’t this just dividing us further? Isn’t this just dividing us? And, Dad, it’s not going to bring peace. It’s not going to help or heal families. The only way through this is together.” She’s right—she’s right. This debate is turning the temperature up instead of turning the temperature down. This debate is being weaponized because the government has questions they don’t want to answer.

There’s a lot of emotion with this. There are things the government would rather not talk about. Emotions are really running high, and I’ve got to say, folks, the heckling on this issue—I’ve watched the debates. I’ve listened in here. Yes, we all do it, but the kind of heckling that I’ve seen and the things that people have said—they’re just hurtful. They’re turning it up. That’s wrong.

If we can’t actually come together in this place, how are we going to help people come together out there? Because we’re not going to get through this, our communities aren’t going to get through this, families aren’t going to get through this unless we come together.

I really wish this debate was ended right now. I really wish this wasn’t happening. I also really wish that the member from Hamilton Centre was here to tell us in her own words—

Interjection.

I withdraw, Speaker. Thank you.

“We call for the immediate removal of Jama.”

Moreover, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center noted: “We are outraged by this statement from @SarahJama_ and her refusal to acknowledge the atrocities committed by the terror group Hamas against Israeli civilians....

“Not for the first time, she has caused hurt and harm to the Jewish community and brought shame to Ontarians, including her constituents in Hamilton Centre.”

From B’nai Brith Canada: “@SarahJama_ has never properly apologized to the Jewish community for her prior offensive statements. Now, as our community faces an onslaught of barbaric terrorism, your comments are void of even one word of condemnation against Hamas.

“You do not deserve to sit in the opposition’s caucus in Ontario ... we call for her immediate removal from the”—

What remains before us is an apology to this House for bringing it into disrepute and a deletion of the offensive statement so it is clear that she has truly retracted it.

Now more than ever, Ontario’s Jewish community, including the Chabad of Durham Region, needs our support. They need to be reminded of the best of us. They need to be reminded that there is far more that unites us than divides us, and what unites us is rejecting brutal acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas terrorists and other terrorists around the world.

Hamas’s actions and its unrelenting dedication to terror show no regard for human life. Now more than ever, we wish for lasting peace and freedom for everyone in the region, and that can only be achieved by defeating the terrorist group Hamas for the good of Israel and the Palestinian people, and for the good of all humanity.

Speaker, it’s been my opportunity to speak to the intent, the purpose, of government motion number 39, the censure of the member for Hamilton Centre. In all aspects of what’s before us today, I stand in my place as a representative for the town of Whitby. I stand in my place in support of the members of the Chabad of Durham Region and fully support motion number 39 and look forward to the opportunity to stand in my place and vote in support of it.

I withdraw—what is in her heart. It would help. It would help all of us a lot. I really wish that the apology didn’t take 24 hours. I really wish that. And I wish that my colleague, who I have a lot of respect for, the Leader of the Opposition, was more clear about her own words. We need the Leader of the Opposition to provide clarity, to be clear, because we need to build trust.

I said earlier the only way we’re going to get through this is together. This debate is dividing us. It’s harmful. It’s painful. It pours salt into wounds new and old. Families are scared in my riding and all of our ridings, all families. Jewish families in my riding have family in Israel. They’re scared for their own kids, scared for their own families, scared at what they see happening in this world. There are Muslim families in my riding. They’ve got family in the conflict. They’re scared. They’re worried for them. They’re scared for their kids. My daughter is scared for her kids. And what we have going on in here is an inability to come together to try to heal the pain that’s there, to try to say to people, “We can provide you security. We’re going to try to come together. We have to get through this together.”

One of the intents of the terrorist attack is to create division, to spread the conflict, to create fear. We’re not helping that. We have to make sure that we protect innocent lives, wherever they are. We have to call for peace when it needs to be called for. We have to call out heinous acts of terror and stamp it out. We have to ask for hostages to be returned. We have to make sure that people have the things they need so they’re not starving, and that they’re safe. That’s our job and that’s what families in our ridings—whoever they are, whatever they believe—expect from us. This debate, folks, ain’t doing that—not even close.

The only way through this is together. We’re leaders, and we need to lead.

I ask the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, respectfully, to do what needs to be done to turn the temperature down, to bring us together, to help us lead the people who need our help. I ask them to do that.

We need to lead—all of us. We don’t have a choice. This debate has become too divisive.

Speaker, after I sit down, Ontario Liberals are not going to participate any further on motion 19 because we feel the heavy weight of responsibility to bring all families in our communities together.

I want to thank you for your time.

Further debate?

Madam Speaker, we can’t start at the end of the story; we have to start at the beginning.

Let me tell you what finds me here, privileged to be one of less than 2,000 people ever elected since Confederation to serve in the Ontario Legislature.

I believe we can all make an impactful change to our province for the better by bringing the best of ourselves, by seeing beyond the impediments and the biases and the intolerances and bringing hopes and dreams to life.

Better begins when everyone feels like they belong and they have a chance to thrive. And yet, at the same time, I am mindful of who I am and where I stand and how I stand in my Ontario—but also a proud member of our Jewish community. I’m reminded of how my family on both sides—my mother’s and my father’s side—came to Ontario, and a little bit later I’ll tell you why that is relevant today. I’ll tell you why hate has no place here, and I’ll tell you why hate is toxic to our democracy.

Today, I speak about a serious matter: of understanding how our words and actions have impact and, from that impact, consequences on those around us. I’ll speak to the values that are inherently ours. I’ll speak to the fears of a grieving community here in Canada, around the world and especially in Israel, and why I support the motion we’re debating today. I’ll talk about why this place is so important—and if these halls of democracy could talk, what would they say now?

To begin, I want to take people on a journey with you, Madam Speaker, and I want to speak about my definition of the sign of a leader. Leaders are those who dedicate the whole of their spirit for a cause greater than themselves—and we do not know when that time will come and under what circumstance will trigger the time for someone to become a leader. The sign of a hero is those who fight for others when they see and when they know it’s right, and when they understand good over evil, no matter the cost and no matter the odds. A leader stands by your side always.

One person stands out for me today, and that’s my Premier, Premier Doug Ford. He reminds me of what Prime Minister Harper spoke of to the Israeli Parliament about 10 years ago, finding himself, at that time, becoming one of Canada’s greatest statesmen. Let’s remember what a leader is: a person with undisputable character and courage, who’s never afraid to say things others don’t want to hear. Now I understand Prime Minister Harper as he said:

“Now ... in the world of diplomacy, with one ... Jewish state and scores of others” who are against it, “it is all too easy ‘to go along to get along’ and single out Israel.

“But such ‘going along to get along,’ is not a ‘balanced’ approach, nor a ‘sophisticated’ one; it is, quite simply, weak and wrong.”

He went on to say, “Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, we live in a world where that kind of moral relativism runs rampant.

“And in the garden of such moral relativism, the seeds of much more sinister notions can be easily planted.

“And so we have witnessed, in recent years, the mutation of the old disease of anti-Semitism and” recently “the emergence of a new strain.

“We all know about the old anti-Semitism.”

That’s why, this past Tuesday, just two days ago, I quoted the words of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, and I’ll say it again: “The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews.” And we make a great mistake if we think anti-Semitism is only about Jews, because it’s not. It’s about anti-Semites; it’s about people who cannot accept responsibility for their own failures and instead have to blame someone else. That’s why I say, Madam Speaker, we have serious problems here to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. For those who do not want to solve problems, I’ll tell you what: They will make you afraid of it, and they will tell you who to blame for it.

As I’ve said many times, things matter. The founding principles of our democracy, of the best who we are, matter. The rule of law matters. The right to live safely in our communities matters. And the right to live free of hate matters. It matters a lot. Decency matters. Tolerance matters. Respect matters, and caring for every one of us, regardless of our faith and our culture, our religion, our individualities and exceptionalities, matters as well.

Many members who have served here for far many more years than I have have understood the spirit on both sides and the expectations of our behaviour both here and outside the Legislature, and that our conduct outside is as important as our conduct inside. For so many of us, together in this place, we’ve had moments of friendliness, and that’s a fact, but we’ve also had our disagreements. We could be affable and we could be stubborn, and there were times that I’ve witnessed that we were prepared to compromise, but we could also dig in our heels. And some of us, even from the other side, could offer fair counsel to each other, and other times we offered it to you. There were times when we exchanged strong words and we tried not to make it personal. I believe, Madam Speaker, that is the expectation that we have of each other in this place, and there is a line that we can’t cross. There is a line that is sacrosanct in the history and the tradition of this place that binds us one to another. Words matter, actions matter, and we must be accountable for what we say and do.

The record of the member in question speaks for itself. I wish it wasn’t true, but the facts are the facts. You can’t stand up at a BDS rally, which, by its own definition, is anti-Israel—there are no other words to describe it—to stand with movements like that on campuses—and it’s been well-documented. It’s etched into history. I wish it wasn’t the case.

It goes further. We can’t have people disrespecting our police and those who keep us safe. That hurts me to the core. And I know many of us, almost all of us, will always have the backs of everyone who keeps us safe.

Madame la Présidente, je voudrais remercier chaque personne et tous les premiers intervenants qui travaillent fort pour assurer la sécurité de notre province. And I said this, again, on Tuesday: La raison de leur service est pour faire une différence dans la vie des gens lorsqu’ils ne s’y attendent pas.

Well, why? Why do we have an obligation to make a difference in a person’s life every day? Because those are the expectations of civil behaviour.

This past summer, Madam Speaker, I was overwhelmed when I attended the 90th anniversary of the Christie Pits riots, steps from this Legislature. The Christie Pits riots were a dark period, a gross and repulsive example of the worst of anti-Semitism here in Toronto 90 years ago. I was there with our Minister of Education, the member from Eglinton–Lawrence and others, and for those who were there, they remember the meaningful words that were spoken.

I said that we have come a long way from what was once acceptable in the last number of hundred years. Slavery was once legal; it’s hard to believe. Discrimination against people for just how they worship was once acceptable. It was okay not to treat people the same if the colour of their skin was different, and that isn’t right.

For my family, this was a personal journey, because my grandfather Murray Penwick was born steps from this Legislature on a street that doesn’t exist today, called Agnes Street, at the turn of the last century. He was a Jew from a family, of course, that came from Eastern Europe. He worked hard and he wanted to go to university, but people knew around 1930, if not before, there were quotas. You couldn’t get into medical school. So he took the drastic step of changing his name to Penwick, which is a completely made-up name, something to this day I don’t understand, and he still couldn’t get into medical school, but he became, like many others, a pharmacist. Unfortunately, he did not live a long life, but he had a drugstore for many years; I still drive past the location at Vaughan Road and Cherrywood Avenue.

There were examples of anti-Semitism all through our lives. The Christie Pits riots were only one example, but there were others. Right after the Christie Pits riots, some of us remember that none was too many. When somebody asked a federal bureaucrat or minister at the time how many Jews from Eastern Europe, from wherever, can come here to seek refuge, they replied, “None is too many,” which was zero. We’ve come a long way.

I wanted to also acknowledge that out of the Christie Pits riots, we had a wonderful friendship that formed with the Italian community, and it is special to this day. That’s why it’s an honour to sit right behind my colleague Minister Stephen Lecce.

I want to acknowledge something else that has been amazingly special for me, and they’re here with us today: the leaders of the Philippine community of Toronto, who have expressed nothing but concern for the Jewish community, who have stood with us, who will always stand with us in good times and bad, and we will return the favour.

I have to tell you, Madam Speaker, that it’s not only our fundamental right we believe in to live safe in our own homes and communities, and the optimism we should always share, and the fact that we should live free of racism and discrimination. I observed the incredible rally just across the street at the campus of the University of Toronto just a couple of days ago. I observed it, because I couldn’t even get close, because the speech that was emanating from some people there was vile. You can’t hold a placard that says “From the River to the Sea” and not understand what that means. That means the destruction of the democratic State of Israel. It’s completely unacceptable.

I want to go back to say that I wish it wasn’t so. I wish the attack did not happen at the end of a wonderful occasion in the Jewish calendar, where we finish the reading of the Old Testament and then we start again. As we began to think about reading the first words of Genesis—its powerful words, the story of creation—Israel, and there were no other words to describe it, was the victim of a heinous terrorist attack. It was sadistic in every way. People were hunted down in their homes just because they were Jews—at bus stops, at music festivals—and in real time, the terrible rampage was broadcast live through the world. There were no words that anybody could come up with that would explain something that one could find acceptable to the acts of Hamas.

It was absolutely a tragedy—the largest since the Holocaust—and at the same time, the Jewish community has acknowledged the pain of so many that were innocent bystanders on the other side. As I said on Tuesday, it’s a documented fact that many people in Gaza are held hostage by Hamas, and that’s wrong; they deserve, also, to live safely as well.

When we see, even in the days—two days ago, Hamas had provided this misconceived notion that the hospital in Gaza City, which was subsequently confirmed by the Western world and by Israel that this was a missile gone rogue by a jihad or Hamas group—they immediately blamed Israel, and that’s completely unacceptable, and nobody will fall for that.

Let them open up the border with Egypt, so Canadians can leave safely and that emergency supplies can enter.

I have to say that the democratic State of Israel cannot be expected to be an angel when they are dealing with a devil. It is just not realistic. They need to have a way of getting the hostages back. They need to have safe borders. They need to have peace amongst those in the region.

As I said, just a couple of days ago, when the Premier spoke of this to over 15,000 people at Mel Lastman Square, he spoke of moral clarity. It’s about seeing the terrorist group Hamas for what they really are: unabashed, unapologetic, sick, megalomaniac terrorists. That’s what they are.

And that’s why any member of this House must be sensitive to each other and our feelings. We have to realize, as was said by other speakers, that when you walk in that door, you leave any biases that you have outside, so that you treat everybody exactly the way you yourself want to be treated. The best way, the only way we can show respect is by telling the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts, and maybe this is a lesson that we learn.

The leader across from Ottawa is right: We need to turn down the temperature here. That is a very fine statement. But we also need to call someone out if they’ve done something wrong, so that that person can learn.

Learning is okay, and I think this is an example of many communities, as I said on Tuesday, being part of a quilt, a microcosm of something amazing that represents Ontario. Everyone—the Muslim community, the Jewish community, the Filipino community, the Vietnamese community, the Chinese community, the Caribbean community and everyone who has walked through these halls—is part of a quilt. The responsibility is to each other that that quilt does not tear. This is something that we need to do.

And we will, as it was written, always choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. And that’s hard; I understand that. It’s hard for visible minorities to serve in this chamber on both sides of the House, to reaffirm their faith, and that is something that is hard. But we do it because this is a welcoming place for everyone. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m wearing my kippah, and I’m proud of that. That’s why people express their faith as to who they are. We must always be the conscience of this place of democracy and preserve the values we hold dear now and always. That’s why, Madam Speaker, I support this motion.

Further debate?

I rise today with a heavy heart as the people of Israel and people around the world reel from the unthinkable actions of the terrorist group Hamas and fear for their lives. This is a very serious motion before us today. It has been brought forward because of the words and conduct of the member for Hamilton Centre, words and conduct that are wholly inappropriate and unbecoming of a member of this Legislative Assembly.

Speaker, Israel was assaulted with a heinous surprise attack on a sacred holy day and Shabbat. Hundreds of young people at a music festival for peace were gunned down as they ran for their lives: innocent people, from infants to elderly grandparents, Israelis and Canadians taken hostage; children slaughtered; babies slaughtered; entire families massacred; rape; beheadings; bodies burned alive.

Hamas’s despicable terror attacks have killed over 1,300 individuals with the majority being innocent civilians. They seized nearly 200 hostages, the highest number of Jews killed in a single day since the Holocaust. This was an act of cowardice. This is an act of sheer evil. There is no rationalizing it, no excusing it.

Hamas continues to threaten all residents and citizens of Israel, making no distinction between religion, ethnicity, citizenship or political belief. Our government, in the face of this horrific tragedy, has provided steadfast leadership and moral clarity and expressed its unequivocal support of the Jewish community of Ontario and the global community and that Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and its citizens against such heinous acts of violence.

I proudly stood with Premier Ford and our PC caucus in solidarity with 15,000 mourners at Mel Lastman Square as the Premier resolutely championed the cause of the Jewish people in Israel and the Jewish community in Ontario. This is a time for moral clarity. There is no place for hate and anti-Semitism in our province and country. Indeed, Israel stands as a refuge for Jewish people around the world. Borne out of the need to provide a secure homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust and centuries of persecution, Israel is and will always be committed to ensuring the safety and security of its people.

I myself am an immigrant to Canada, and my family escaped from the horrors and deprivation of the Second World War and the civil war that followed in Greece for the safety and security of life in Canada. From a young age, I learned of the atrocities committed against Jewish Greeks by the Nazis. In March 1943, the Nazis rounded up and deported the Jews of the historic city of Thessaloniki, sending those Greek citizens to the death camps. Interestingly, up to the 19th century, Jews were in fact a majority of the population in Thessaloniki, with 33 synagogues, thriving schools and businesses. In other parts of Greece, the ancient Romaniotes were Jewish families who called Greece their home since the time of Alexander.

When the Nazis invaded Greece, 46,000 of its Jewish citizens from the city were deported to the concentration camps. Throughout Greece, about 70,000 Jews died. Following the war, the few surviving Greek Jews emigrated to Israel, and some to Canada. The Greek Jews that moved to Israel established several villages, including Tzur Moshe, and many settled in the Florentin, Tel Aviv, and the area around Jaffa harbour. This is sacred land—land that had been inhabited by Jews since the beginning of time.

In this House, our government has recognized the inalienable right of the State of Israel to defend itself and its people. This right is based in history. During the horrors of the Second World War, many Greeks, at risk to themselves, protected and hid Jewish friends and neighbours. On the Greek island of Zakynthos, when ordered by the Nazi occupiers to hand over a list of the town’s Jewish residents, Mayor Loukas Karrer and Greek Orthodox Bishop Chrysostomos defied these orders. Instead, they concealed their Jewish neighbours and submitted a list that bore only two names: their own. This historic and heroic resistance resulted in the survival of the entire Jewish community in Zakynthos. This story serves as a poignant reminder that even in the darkest hours of history, people emerged to do what was right and what was just.

I can also tell you about my own personal experience. I had the rare opportunity to be invited to a memorial service at the Kahal Shalom Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Greece, on the island of Rhodes, to commemorate the loss of 1,604 Jewish citizens of Rhodes who were sent to the concentration camps. Now, in a spirit of peace, the Chief Rabbi of Athens, along with the Imam of Rhodes and the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Rhodes, were there together in prayer and commemoration.

I also belong to a Facebook group named the Israel-Greece Friendship Association. When Hamas attacked, Israeli members came to the Greek members, asking if Greece is a safe place for them to seek refuge. The response was overwhelming. Members shared their personal phone numbers. They assured Israelis that Greece would welcome them with open arms. Members from my birthplace of Kalamata, in Ioannina, and across Greece informed them how to safely travel to Greece. Perhaps most poignantly, members from Thessaloniki, whose Jewish citizens had been decimated by the Nazis, assured Israelis that Greece will protect them and their families.

Now, since 2007, Gaza has been controlled by Hamas. Let’s not deceive ourselves: Hamas is a political and militant Islamist group, and it has ruled the citizens of Gaza in an oppressive de facto one-party state. Since then, they have in essence held all residents hostage to their brutal authoritarian goal.

Fast forward to October 7, 2023, when Israel was attacked from Gaza. The Hamas terrorist organization has thrust its residents of Gaza into a state of even worse crisis. In fact, they are now facing an immediate future without food, power and fuel. Hamas strategically places its headquarters in hospitals, hides its fighters beneath apartment buildings and establishes its offices within schools. It exploits the people of Gaza, who suffer from both Hamas’s oppressive rule and the consequences of conflict as human shields.

It’s vital to recognize that the innocent people of Gaza should have the opportunity for safe passage, as they are not responsible for initiating this conflict and deserve to live free from harm. Humanitarian organizations should be allowed to provide relief to those fleeing the conflict. Innocent Israeli citizens should not be kidnapped and held hostage.

Ontario is home to Jewish and Palestinian people, many of whom have lost loved ones as the result of this senseless act of violence. To quote the Premier, “These attacks are not just another conflict on the other side of the world. The impact is being felt throughout the country, including here in Ontario.”

I would also like to read a statement from Rabbi Stephen Wise, who is the rabbi for our synagogue congregation in Oakville. The congregation is Shaarei-Beth El congregation. This is what Rabbi Wise has said:

“We stand in solidarity with the State of Israel and all of its residents in the midst of the horrifying, deadly attacks of Hamas terror—unleashed by land, sea and air. We grieve the lives lost, which continue to grow in number. Those killed include children and adults of all ages and walks of life. Our prayers from around the world are directed to the land of Israel. We pray for comfort for mourners, healing for the wounded, we pray for the release of those taken captive, and safety for all who have taken shelter. We pray for the citizen-soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, those on active duty, and all who have been urgently called into service as reservists.

“Not for the first time in its history, Israel has been assaulted with a heinous surprise attack on a sacred, holy day—in this case, Atzeret-Simchat Torah and Shabbat. A day of peace and rejoicing has been turned into a day of war and grief. Hamas’s despicable terror attacks have killed, wounded and continue to threaten all residents of Israel—making no distinction between religion, ethnicity, citizenship or political belief. Today we stand with all in Israel whose lives are being threatened. We pray that the Israel Defense Forces will swiftly repel this terrorist invasion, minimizing the devastating loss of life, and will be able to safely recover the captives.”

It is for this reason that I rise today to address a circumstance that as an Ontarian I am ashamed I have to raise. I would like to share with the members a harrowing message I received from a former constituent from my Oakville North–Burlington community, one who now lives in the riding of Hamilton Centre. Here is someone who should be able to trust that their elected official will act in the constituents’ best interests. Instead, this individual reached out to me because they are scared for their safety and their children’s safety. And their elected official’s inflammatory statement put their safety at further risk.

Let me share what this constituent told me when we spoke yesterday:

“I represent and belong to a Jewish community of Hamilton.

“I don’t know who to turn and ask for help, because our MPP is the member for Hamilton Centre, and I’ve heard the Ford government speaking out against her and I was wondering if the government can help me and my Jewish community.

“Given the horrifying nature of attacks and war in Israel, we are scared being in our own country, Canada!

“Last week, Jewish students—children—were attacked in Toronto.

“Several days ago, our children in Hamilton were horrified by cars filled with people flying the Palestinian flag. People screaming toward our children.

“We are asking for help. Everyone has a political opinion; we are not talking about political opinions. We are not talking about Israel or Gaza. We are Canadian citizens, most of the people are not from Israel. They are Jewish children going to Jewish schools.

“We are asking for you to understand us and support us, if you can relate to our fear because we are not going to Muslim or Christian places shouting and chanting death to people. We are peaceful here, that’s why we live in Canada.

“We don’t know what to do if the hate is not being addressed, that’s a big problem.

“It is not fair that children should stay home because of fear in a free country that is not related to Israel or Gaza.”

This is, sadly, not an isolated experience. Many other members of the Hamilton Jewish community have written to me. And here is another one who just wrote to me today:

“I don’t know who to turn to and ask for help from. I heard my MPP publicly supports Hamas.

“The member of Parliament continuously notes the saddening impact this war that was brought on us has on the innocent Palestinian civilians who are being used as human shields by the terror organization of Hamas and deliberately neglects to mention any of the civilians who were actively targeted as valid targets by that same terror organization, later to be raped, butchered, beheaded and burned alive.

“Clearly, we, the Jewish-Israeli communities within Canada, have a lot to worry about and nobody to rely on.

“We are asking for your understanding and your support. We feel that our fundamental rights were taken away wholly: the right to practise our religion in the house of worship and send our children to school with no fear, the right to freedom, we are scared to wear Star of David necklaces, wearing ‘kippa’ ... on our heads or dress as some of our community usually do.

“We don’t know what to do if the hate is not addressed. It quickly became a big problem for peace of mind. It is not fair that children should stay home because of fear in a free country.”

It is shocking that Jewish people living in Hamilton Centre are afraid because of the violence incited by the statements and actions made by the member from Hamilton Centre. Words matter. Actions matter. And I’m proud that our government stands with them and they can rely on our side of the aisle for the support they so desperately need.

Hamas’s leaders recently declared that last Friday would be a global day of jihad—a day for Hamas supporters around the world to threaten Jews wherever they live, including here in Canada. Jews in Canada certainly got the message. People in my own riding of Oakville North–Burlington and across Ontario are terrified of unprovoked violence against them. They have had to remove the mezuzah from their doorstep. They have advised their children to hide their faith. They have been told to avoid places of worship for fear of aggression. In my riding, the Halton police have increased patrols around places of worship. They are afraid, and it is our duty as parliamentarians to advocate and protect them.

To those listening, I have a clear and resolute message for you: We stand with the people of Israel. We stand with the Jewish citizens in Ontario—so that all Ontarians can rely on this government to support you, irrespective of your race, faith or ethnicity.

And to the members opposite, I would like you to reflect on this message from Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the centre of the universe.”

The truth is indisputable. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.

Let me repeat: We call on the Speaker to not recognize the member for Hamilton Centre in the House until the member reflects and then retracts her statements on social media and makes a heartfelt apology in her place in the House.

Further debate?

Further debate?

I’m here today to speak in favour of this motion and, more specifically, the sanctions to be brought against the member from Hamilton Centre.

Usually, it is my very great honour to have the opportunity to speak on a matter in the House, but sadly, I find there is limited honour in the actions from the member for Hamilton Centre. Specifically, utilizing her position to provide a statement inferring the mere existence of the State of Israel is the reason for thousands of rockets launched at civilians and the invasion of thousands of terrorists who killed, raped and kidnapped Israelis with no regard for the dignity of human life—it’s literally difficult to digest.

Life is complex, but the last week and a half has made me question humanity itself, when a member of this democratic House demonstrates the actions that make me question her position in this House. Perhaps we should go back to the events of October 7. We all went to bed that night not realizing that we would wake to the reality of terror and the nightmare of human slaughter in Israel—human slaughter that was tantamount to 9/11 and the Holocaust. It was unbearable to watch, surreal and disturbing.

It was Saturday, October 7 or, on the Jewish calendar, the 27 of Tishrei, the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, with the evening of Simchat Torah, which marks the final day of the reading of the Torah. It’s a holy day, supposed to be a joyous occasion, one of the happiest holidays in the Jewish calendar, but as I turned on the television and scanned social media, we discovered that hundreds of young people’s lives were gone, brutally murdered at a music festival located in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip. The lives were savagely taken by Hamas terrorists, and then families, including women and children, slaughtered in their own homes.

The videos on social media, visuals of inhumane atrocities: children dying; teenage girls being raped, dragged bruised and bloodied, pulled out of trucks; elderly people with dementia, patients who had no idea what was going on or why they were in pain; Holocaust survivors, people who had started their life in terror and now ended in terror as well. Hamas’s attack on Israel was the worst Jewish casualty since the Holocaust. Currently there are over 1,400 Israelis murdered, including six Canadians; 3,000 injured; and over 200 people still held hostage, and we do not know if we will ever see them again. It was horrific, it was inhumane, and it was despicable.

I spent the rest of that day with my neighbours, with members of my community and with my children. I sat in a living room and watched the news as Israeli Canadian reservists who were in Thornhill tried to figure out a way back, to go across the globe and serve their community. These boys are only a few years older than my son, and we were in that living room with them. We listened to them preparing to defend the democratic Israel.

I will say this: There can be no question or confusion; Israel has a right to defend itself and its people in an unprovoked attack. The member from Hamilton Centre used her platform in a way by inferring in the heinous behaviour of Hamas, making the victims and surviving friends somehow responsible for their own tragic fate. The member’s statement was and is offensive and unbecoming of an MPP, but I will continue on with my journey through my community.

That night, I visited the congregation and families of the Chabad Russian Center of Thornhill Woods, where I was greeted by Rabbi Hildeshaim and his wife, Chanie. We celebrated Simchat Torah, the end of the reading of the Torah. At that time, many Orthodox Jews who did not use technology were not even aware of what was happening, not directly. They hadn’t opened up their phones; they’re observant. But rumours had begun to circulate. It was sickening for them to think about what their friends and family members were experiencing in Israel.

Although they were deflated, their spirit was not broken. The rabbi’s wife, Chanie, and I had a brief conversation. She reminded me that we had to lift ourselves above everything that had happened and celebrate regardless. Chanie’s a strong woman, and at any other gathering we would be laughing and perhaps even baking, and I’m thankful for her company and her guidance. Just like everyone else in that room, part of her heart and many of her family members are in Israel.

The following day, I travelled to the BAYT, which is the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto, which is the largest Orthodox synagogue in Canada. Rabbi Korobkin is their stoic leader and just about everyone in his purview has deep ties to Israel. Many of the congregants are dual citizens. Like many members of this House, I represent a community of diversity. Many members of the Thornhill community have a heart that lives not only in Thornhill but also Israel. This connection could also extend to another home in Israel and very close family ties: brothers, sisters, children. And like my son’s friend, many of our Thornhill youth were at that same moment planning to go back to Israel to protect Israel, to fight for democracy and protect its people, who include all spectrums of religions.

In the Knesset, the Israeli legislative assembly, Israeli Arabs sit. Israeli Arabs also sit on the Supreme Court. Israeli Arabs are doctors and professors in every capacity. Full rights: That’s Israel and that’s democracy, and not the depiction painted by the member from Hamilton Centre, that of an apartheid state. So this is hurtful behaviour and unfortunately demonstrates and underscores the pervasive anti-Semitic culture that our government is seeking to stamp out. How was this possible, and how do we live in a world that would perpetrate such evil—an unprovoked attack on Israel.

The member from Hamilton Centre’s statement went far beyond inappropriate. It was hurtful and not of a standard that you’d expect in this House. And I’m sure many of the members of my community would find it extremely hurtful. By this and previous actions, this member is simply not acceptable in this House.

Let’s continue on with the events following October 7 in my community of Thornhill. I then went over to Chabad Flamingo. The Flamingo is a very large congregation with very similar ties to Israel. I attempted to console the people and spoke with their passionate leader, Rabbi Kaplan, who led the congregation in prayer and support. We were deflated. We were shocked.

I also travelled over to visit my friends at the Jewish Russian Community Centre, led by Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman. They, too, were in prayer mode. The rabbi’s daughter was in Israel, and I chatted with the congregants, who so desperately wanted to help their friends and people in Israel. They were making plans to bring supplies for those in need, including emergency food, essential supplies, trauma support, with all supplies to be shipped to Israel.

Last Thursday night, I visited Chabad Lubavitch at 770 Chabad Gate. This is a special place for our community. The address is significant because it represents 770, which is the street address of the world headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, and that’s located in Brooklyn, New York. The building in Thornhill is significant because it’s considered by many to be an iconic site in Judaism.

Chabad Gate is adjacent to a strip mall that has been riddled with hateful, anti-Semitic incidents for so many years. In fact, another hateful act just happened last weekend. The peaceable business owners have been harassed by destructive, anti-Semitic behaviour for years—having to face this consistently and stopping businesses in that area from functioning on their busiest day, which is Friday, the day right before Sabbath. It’s hateful, it’s sad, and it’s anti-Semitic. And it’s this kind of hateful behaviour and rhetoric that is undeserved—as well as the comments made by the member from Hamilton Centre.

I went into the Chabad Lubavitch and joined their evening session, as beautiful children played around the adults, as we prayed for the souls of those who had been lost in Israel. Rabbi Spalter, also a strong leader, leads his flock with great care and love. He was there with Rabbi Itchy Grossbaum—or Rabbi Itchy, as I call him—a kind leader with an ever-expanding family. I sat with the congregation as family member after family member came up and talked about life’s blessings and their family members who were either about to serve or already serving in the Israeli defence effort, protecting the democratic nation of Israel for their future and, more importantly, those family members ahead of them.

In the words of Golda Meir, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.”

My own rabbi has said that when he now speaks to congregants, he looks to the entrances and exits, and there’s a little bit of fear and caution. And these were words he said to me prior to October 7.

I’ve spoken to countless constituents, each with a connection to the terror. Last week, I called on a constituent who runs a remarkable not-for-profit, only to hear a very sad and crying person on the other side of the telephone. She advised that a family member was one of those held hostage by Hamas, and she also had countless family members in Israel who had been under siege.

I grew up locally. Many of my friends and I went to York University. It was close by and safe, and it offered a variety of courses. I loved campus life.

Many years later, we were delighted when my oldest chose York. It was close by—but at what cost?

When you’re a Jewish student on campus at York, you learn very quickly that there are forces around you that will make you feel uncomfortable about your Jewish identity. The BDS movement is a prime factor. I’ve heard this on countless occasions from constituents. It’s consistent. Specific student unions don’t make the Jewish students feel very welcome, and it’s very sad in a community of learning and vibrancy. I remember a few years ago when a Jewish student group was holding a small Israeli event at York University and there were protesters outside. That protest turned a little upsetting as a parent. A group of student union protesters had gathered in the area outside the room and the Jewish students were locked inside. My child was on campus that night, and that was a very scary night. She wasn’t picking up her phone. I was relieved when I was able to get through to her, but that was hard. What I faced until I could get through to her pales in comparison with what some parents in Israel are feeling right now, knowing their sons and their daughters are held hostage by terrorists.

Over the weekend, the family of a Canadian Israeli woman who was missing since Hamas terrorists ambushed a music festival in southern Israel learned that she had died. Her name was Shir Georgy. She was only 22.

Canadian Ben Mizrachi was one of at least 260 people gunned down by Hamas at the music festival in southern Israel—also only 22 years old, so young.

Canadian Israeli Adi Vital-Kaploun, 33, was killed by Hamas terrorists in her kibbutz near the Israeli border within Gaza. Vital-Kaploun’s family said she died a hero after convincing her killers to spare her two young children and warning her father and husband to stay hiding during the attack.

Alexandre Look, who recently celebrated his 33rd birthday, was also among those killed while attending the musical festival. Alexandre Look, who lived in Montreal, died a hero. His dad said in a Facebook post on Monday that he found refuge with 30 other people in a bomb shelter without a door and he used his body to barricade that entrance.

The pain and the loss of not just Israeli blood, but also Canadian and, yes, innocent Palestinians is unsurmountable. Throughout its 75-year history, Israel has demonstrated endless strength and resilience, yet the member from Hamilton Centre states—and I’m quoting from her post, because, like my friend, we want to get this post information very clearly set out. This was her statement: “For 75 years, violence and retaliation rooted in settler colonialism have taken the lives of far too many innocent people.”

By all accounts, the loss of lives that happened on October 7 was the result of and directly related to the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization, full stop. As we look to our local communities over the course of the last week, and as I reflect, I received countless calls from concerned parents and scared York University students who face the BDS movement, harassed by organizations that uphold values that are not inclusive, divisive behaviour—so very sad for our humanity—and a joint statement from three student unions that support a recognized terrorist organization, promoting and glorifying violence against innocent Israeli citizens.

This statement failed to acknowledge the death toll of those who have been savagely taken. This is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. The glorification of a murderous terrorist group that has butchered innocent lives is vile. We don’t expect any member of this House, regardless of the side they sit on, to justify terrorist attacks on thousands of innocent Israeli lives. An apology was eventually provided by the member for Hamilton Centre, but how does the saying go? When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

In the last several days we’ve seen hate rallies celebrating the kidnapping and slaughtering of innocent Israeli people. That, too, is very difficult to watch. Our friends at the Israeli consulate now suffer undeservedly with nightly demonstrations. To quote our Premier, “These hate rallies are another painful reminder of work left to do to stamp out anti-Semitism once and for all.... These rallies have no place here in Ontario,” or Canada.

As a parent, I’m grateful to the Minister of Education for implementing mandatory Holocaust education in schools. As Winston Churchill used to say, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” No matter the origin, the sentiments are eternal. We are destined to repeat the past if we do not learn from it.

Right now I’m grateful for many things in my community. I’m grateful for the extraordinary leadership in Thornhill and that our Premier denounced this act of terrorism, because, quite simply, it was the right thing to do. I’m thankful for my colleagues who periodically check in with me and ask about the people in my riding, providing support and compassion for a bleeding community.

And I’m thankful for the support of our amazing York Regional Police professionals, who have made us feel safer during these very difficult times. I’m very cognizant of the combined effort of the GTA police forces, including Durham, Toronto and the OPP, who are working around the clock for our community while my community is challenged by unprovoked hate.

And I want to thank the Premier for his powerful speech in support of Israel at Mel Lastman Square. There were 1,500 people gathered in Mel Lastman Square, members of every community, not just those of the Jewish faith, and I was proud to stand beside so many of my caucus colleagues shoulder to shoulder in support of this cause—municipal, provincial and federal.

There were so many local efforts that should not go unnoticed. When a cargo plane was scheduled to leave Canada for Israel, our community stepped up. As far as the eye could see, there were drop-off locations for supplies. People streamed in. They gave what they could. That cargo plane left loaded. Thornhill sent its most valuable cargo, our children, to travel back to Israel and protect democracy. There was an anonymous man who stood at the airport and paid for tickets for any reservist that was flying back to Israel to serve. He bought 250 tickets. People coming together and caring for one another—I’m seeing it now, light through darkness.

Last week, we witnessed a day of rage where there was a call for violence against the Jewish people globally, and my community, already wrapped in fear, who are very mindful and cognizant of the Holocaust and the Jewish community realized that “never again” is happening now. The painful lessons of history weigh so heavy on us, and I’m mindful of the innocent Palestinians caught in a desperate situation with Hamas using them as human shields—no respect for humanity, dignity or life.

I support this motion, as I am mindful that the member from Hamilton Centre has a history of destructive social media postings. In a previously deleted post, prior to being elected, the member from Hamilton Centre’s postings included one where she said that police across this province kill babies. I quote her from her post: “Police in Ontario have a record of arbitrarily killing babies, Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled civilians (many of whom are Muslim) & those who are in crisis.” This tweet was deleted, by the way.

This is dangerous territory for an elected member to display, and a modicum of decorum is lacking at the very least. When this information is combined with others along with the motion presently in question, there can be no doubt in my mind that the member lacks suitability in her role. I wholeheartedly support this motion in favour of censure against the member from Hamilton Centre. Her anti-Semitic ideology, whether intentional or not, in this war only feeds the fire, and it is comparable to pouring gasoline to wildfire, wreaking havoc on the ideology of democracy in this House.

I want to thank every member for their contributions.

Further debate.

I will be rising as well in the House to speak in favour of this motion. I thought, to start my remarks, I would quote from the motion and read it to frame my thinking on this subject:

“That this House expresses its disapproval of, and disassociates itself from, continued disreputable conduct by the member for Hamilton Centre, most specifically her use of social media to make anti-Semitic and discriminatory statements related to the existence of the State of Israel and its defence against Hamas terrorists; and

“That this House demands the member desist from further conduct that is inappropriate and unbecoming of a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; and

“That the Speaker is authorized to not recognize the member for Hamilton Centre in the House until the member retracts and deletes her statements on social media and makes an apology in her place in the House.”

This motion is probably the most challenging topic I have seen us talk about here in my time as MPP for the last 16 months. It has caused me to step back and reflect on that, the role we all have and where and how we do it. Because at the root of it, being a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is a great privilege that we all share. It’s hard work, and our motive is to get things done, but it is a great privilege.

I begin by reflecting on the place where we conduct our work, this beautiful building that we’re in today. Every day when I come in—the grounds around here, statues that reflect on history of this place and of our province. I come in the east door and past the statue there of Agnes Macphail, the first elected woman in Canada in the House of Commons in 1921. It happens to be that she grew up about 20 minutes from where I live in Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound—a marvellous, amazing lady. All the challenges she would have had to face in getting elected are just extraordinary. And some other beautiful pictures of so many of the first women elected to this chamber: Rae Luckock, Margaret Birch, Margaret Scrivener, Andrea Horwath, Kathleen Wynne. Over the years, it’s now equality, effectively, but that history causes me to reflect. The names on the walls and being sworn-in as one of 2,000 or so members is quite extraordinary.

I was also a page back a few years ago. Yes, that’s right: 1972; yes, 51 years ago. It was a while. Bill Davis was Premier—Darcy McKeough, Bob Nixon, Bette Stephenson. I reflect on that with this motion just because it sets the scene of where we all do our work and emphasize that it is a great privilege to serve in this House and that our actions and words should reflect that privilege.

Most of the time, the discourse in the House does reflect that. Yes, question period can be divisive at times—maybe almost all the time—but the roots of the issues are sincere. When speeches are made and bills are introduced and tributes are made and motions, do we always agree? No. But we share the passion and the commitment for getting things done in what we believe in. I saw that the other night in the private member’s motion debate that we had. I was so grateful for that kind of co-operative atmosphere that we saw. To me that was probably the highlight of my time here, and it also caused me to reflect a little bit on before I was elected.

I’ve climbed a few mountains, done four of the world’s seven summits—who knows whether I’m going to do any more. But my first mountain, approaching the summit caused me to reflect. I stopped and I was looking around and down to my right, it was about 1,000 feet straight down. I said, “Byers, take your next step and make sure it’s the best one you can take.” Happily, I did, and I got down, but that moment caused me to reflect on life as well, and it brings it back to what we do in this place. Let’s be motivated to take the best next step that we can.

That brings me back to this motion because it’s so unfortunate that the words and actions of the MPP from Hamilton Centre are, in fact, instead of a step forward, a real step back. We need to stay focused on making those steps forward.

This motion of censure is rare, but it has been done before. In fact, it has been done by us, our party, to one of our own members in the past. As the government House leader commented, it was in early 2022 when the past member for Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston made the derogatory and racist remarks about a federal cabinet minister and used social media to post messages inciting violence. The House swiftly came together to unanimously censure him in much the same words as the motion we’re debating today does.

At the time, the House ordered apologies be made by the member. It asked the Speaker to assess the sincerity of such apologies, and it ordered the member to desist from further contact. In other words, this has been done before. It’s not easy, and we’ve done it ourselves. I think that’s a very important thought to have here as we consider this motion.

Reflecting again on our thoughts from the House leader, fundamental to our system of government is the ability of a Parliament to maintain institutional respect and dignity so it can fulfill its constitutional duty. That’s why, since the foundation of our Westminster system of Parliament, the two most significant rights which Parliaments have maintained are the collective rights to discipline and to regulate their own internal affairs.

It is expected that members will hold varied and sometimes unpopular opinions. They may even compromise their own personal dignity at times, but what can not be compromised is the public respect for the institution itself. That’s why, over the course of history, when faced with a conduct so unbecoming that it reflects on the entire institution, Parliaments have sparingly but swiftly exercised their disciplinary powers to protect the institution from the actions of any individual, whether a member of the public or a member of that Parliament. That, again, reflects on why we are discussing this motion.

I’ve been listening to the remarks from other members—really excellent thoughts. The member from Essex talked about—I’ve never been to Israel myself, but his reflection on going there, seeing what he saw and making the comment as others have, that on the Holocaust—in what happened on October 7, more people in Israel were killed than any time since the Holocaust, just an unbelievable notion.

The member from Cambridge mentioned his trip to the Dachau concentration camp and what an impactful event that was. He also mentioned the six Canadians who have been killed in this conflict.

The member from Whitby talked about the events in his community and reflections on the recent difficult days.

The member from Ottawa South, I acknowledge, said we need to come together and build trust. I agree. We should move towards that.

Beautiful remarks from the member from York Centre—his passion in choosing the harder right, he called it.

The member from Oakville North–Burlington told stories about her family coming to Canada and the links between Greece and the Holocaust.

The member from Barrie–Innisfil’s passionate remarks in reference to constitutions were very good.

Of course, our member from Thornhill: beautiful remarks and so passionate about the activities in her community—I believe the largest Jewish community in all of Canada, or even North America, so quite extraordinary. Thank you so much for sharing those.

These remarks all cause me to reflect on our role here and this motion. This matter strikes the very heart of the principles on which our democratic institution was founded. It’s an issue that demands our undivided attention, not merely as representatives of our diverse constituencies, but as representatives of our great province.

The motion before us pertains to a member’s use of social media, a powerful tool in our age, to disseminate opinions and perspectives that have been perceived as both anti-Semitic and discriminatory. Ontario is an interconnected collection of cultures, faiths and histories, and stands as a testament to the world that diversity is our strength. Regardless of background, every individual contributes to the unique tapestry of our shared identity. Therefore, when any member of this House bestowed with public trust chooses to use their platform to threaten this harmony, it’s our collective responsibility to address it and rectify.

It causes me to think again of Agnes Macphail and all the work she went into to go to the House of Commons and to this chamber. I can only imagine what she would be thinking in hearing about the comments from the member from Hamilton Centre and how disrespectful it is of the institution of our Legislature.

Free speech is a fundamental right in many democratic societies. It ensures that individuals have the liberty to express their thoughts, ideas and opinions without facing retribution. However, like many rights, it’s not absolute and does not exist in a vacuum. When one exercises the right to free speech, especially in a public or shared space, there are inherent responsibilities that come with it. These obligations aren’t necessarily legal but are based on societal norms, mutual respect and the preservation of a harmonious community.

While individuals can hold personal beliefs, intentionally spreading false information can be harmful. In the context of anti-Semitic comments, it’s essential to differentiate between holding a view and perpetrating harmful stereotypes and falsehoods.

Today’s debate transcends the motion at hand. It delves into the essence of our roles. That’s why I was reflecting on the place where we do our work and how we do that work. It is a great privilege, and our actions both here and elsewhere need to reflect that privilege. As we chart our path forward, let us be guided by wisdom, understanding and an unwavering commitment to the principles that define us, for the strength of Ontario lies not just in the voices of its representatives but in its people’s unity, harmony and shared vision. Let’s champion this unity today and always. That is why I will be supporting this motion.

Speaker, I wish to start by sharing the content of an email that I received from a former colleague of mine and a constituent. Her name is Robin. Robin is a professor at St. Lawrence College, working in classes for students with English as a second language. Robin and her family had taken a family trip to Israel for a wedding. They were scheduled to leave Israel on Saturday, October 7, but because of the brutal attacks by Hamas on the people of Israel, they didn’t get to leave; they needed to take cover. They ended up spending most of the day hiding in a bomb shelter. The email she sent me said that they had been waiting for safe passage out of Israel, and that they heard that there are over 1,000 Canadian citizens also in need of leaving Israel—some of them are residents; many of them were tourists.

I’m thankful that my friends are currently safe, and I hope that they can soon return home to safety. Unfortunately, this is not the same story for everyone after the horrific attacks.

Thousands of Israelis were attending a music festival in Gaza, and suddenly they were under fire. One concert attendee, Gili Yoskovich, told the BBC, “I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to die, it’s okay, just breathe, just close your eyes,’ because [there] was shooting everywhere. It was very, very close to me.” That is not what someone attending a concert should be saying.

For anyone listening who doesn’t know, Hamas is called the Islamic Resistance Movement—with the goal of creating an independent Islamic state within historical Palestine. They have maintained that Palestine is an Islamic homeland that can never be surrendered to non-Muslims. Put bluntly, according to United Nations standards and Canadian law, Hamas is a terrorist organization, plain and simple, and they wish to eradicate the Israeli state.

Let’s talk about what happened on Saturday, October 7. This was not a liberation movement. It was a brutal attack on humanity. Many news outlets have reported that the Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israel were carrying manuals with instructions on how to kidnap and torture people. This was a planned attack, with the purpose to cruelly torture their captives. This was not a military-to-military battle. Quite simply, this was an attack on everyday civilian people simply trying to enjoy an event.

As of yesterday, and I may be wrong on this, it’s been confirmed that five Canadians have been amongst the many who have been killed because of this attack. I’m told that currently, over 1,400 Israeli people, mostly civilians, are dead, and I fear that my numbers are inaccurate and they’re growing.

We’ve learned through media reporting that there have been top-secret documents found on the corpses of some of the Hamas terrorists detailing plans on how to kill as many people as possible in targeted places like elementary schools and a youth centre. Other documents have been shown to give the directive to achieve the highest level of human loss possible and then take captives. The mission was clear: Their strategy was to hurt and to murder as many innocent civilians as possible.

Following the attack, many Ontario citizens expressed their grief and their fear. They may have family and friends in Israel. They may have family and religious roots in Israel. Everyone watched in horror as they saw children and the elderly being beaten, being taken, being slaughtered and, as we’ve heard today, even being beheaded.

As the Premier of this province said on Tuesday, these attacks are not just another conflict somewhere on the other side of the world. This is an attack where, because of the history of the Holocaust, it is even more important for us to intervene. Atrocities like the Holocaust can never be repeated, not while we’re standing by.

The motion before the House today emphasizes our government’s commitment to human rights, to democracy and to the Jewish community. Across the world and across history, Jewish people have a long history of persecution. We need to stand together and support the Jewish people here in Ontario and in Israel.

As democratically elected representatives of the province of Ontario, it is important that we defend our democracy and all democracies around the world. Israel is one of the few democratic states in the Middle East. Hamas has declared war on a democratic, sovereign nation. When someone attacks one democracy, they have, in fact, attacked all democracies.

And all of this because of a hateful set of beliefs. It shocks and amazes me that a belief in God, a belief in any religions which guide us on how to get along with each other, ends up as a horrible excuse for murderous brutality. I’ve never been able to understand that.

Within this House, there are many people of many faiths, ideologies, beliefs, but we can work together because we choose to work together in a civil setting and work through our differences. Hamas has not done that. Hamas is not willing to do that. Instead, they choose to take matters into their own bloody hands in an attempt to show who is somehow most powerful.

Now, at a time when Ontarians and the world were grieving, the member from Hamilton Centre chose to post on social media justifying this unprovoked attack. She chose deliberately harsh and inflammatory rhetoric, claiming that Israel’s generations-long occupation of Palestine was nothing other than settler colonialism. When Israel, Ontario and the whole world are grieving, it is not the time for someone to monopolize their own personal social agenda. It is a time when the people of Ontario are looking to us, their elected representatives in this place of power, to be their support.

We have heard that on October 7, more innocent Jewish men, women, children and infants were killed on that day than on any other day since the Holocaust of World War II. Whether or not the intention of the statement by the member of Hamilton Centre was to aggrieve the Jewish communities of Ontario, I assure this House, it did. And it aggrieved the majority of peaceful Ontarians of any faith.

Following the publishing of the member’s statement on social media, the Leader of the Opposition then requested an apology from her own member and a retraction of that offensive comment. At that time, obviously, the leader of the NDP recognized that the comment posted online was wholly inappropriate. It’s unfortunate that the leader’s words were weak and subsequently ignored.

As has been mentioned, in the previous term of this House, the then member for Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston made offensive comments regarding a federal cabinet minister and shared those same comments through social media. At that time, this House stood together for the decorum of our democratic House, using a very similar motion to what we are looking at today. That member was given an order from this House that an apology to the Speaker’s satisfaction was to be made. Mr. Hillier—my former MPP, actually—chose to ignore those instructions from the House. Madam Speaker, I believe, and I think that all members here believe, that it is motions like this that ensure the dignity of this House and its members.

Early in 2022, the opposition found themselves in a similar situation. It was discovered a member of their own caucus was demonstrating a pattern of publishing troubling Islamophobic, homophobic and racist views. The provincial director of the NDP at the time wrote a statement saying, “Any other candidate and any other caucus member—in any context ... attempting to run for any reasonable party—would be disqualified for ever having been a member of an Islamophobic, racist group.” The previous leader and her party understood how important it was for the members of this House to be true representatives of all the people of Ontario.

We may not like it all the time, but as elected officials, we are held to a higher standard. Today, we are calling on this House to come together as a democratic institution to uphold that standard. Now and long into the future, the people of Ontario must know that racism and discrimination will not be condoned by this institution.

Madam Speaker, when I last heard from my friend Robin, it was that her children had found flights into Europe and that their parents were waiting on help and a possible flight from our heroic Canadian Armed Forces. I think, and I hope, that they are safe, and I weep for all the families and the friends that don’t have that hope. She had reached out to me as the only elected official that she knew personally.

So I hope and I believe we must—I hope this House respects the term “elected official” by passing this motion and ensuring that everyone knows that we will always condemn that horrific and violent attack.

Further debate?

Further debate?

Like others have said today, I rise with a heavy heart. It’s a very difficult and serious issue that we are debating today. I want to start just by putting down some basic facts.

Hamas has been recognized as a terrorist entity by the government of Canada, and Hamas’ charter clearly declares that its aim, the reason for its existence, is to commit a war crime, basically. It is to eliminate the state of Israel and every Jew who stands in the way. And they’re not above eliminating others as well, like Arab Israelis, for example.

Now, on October 7—we’ve said many times, but I have to go there again—appalling news came out of Israel: Innocent civilians, men, women, children, even babies and the elderly, some of whom themselves were Holocaust survivors, were kidnapped, raped, murdered, burned and mutilated. And Hamas terrorists gleefully paraded their war crimes on social media, showing a total absence of respect for human life. By treating these innocent victims as though they were less than human, by dehumanizing these innocent Israelis, these terrorists displayed their own inhumanity for all the world to see, and all the world saw that. It was the purest manifestation of moral evil in recent history. Every bit of news of these atrocities committed by Hamas hits us viscerally in the gut, leaving us gutted, really, as the descriptions also echo pogroms and the history of the Holocaust, and we all feel that very much.

As my friend has just said, at least on Monday of this week, by then, 1,400 Israelis had been killed, including 260 who were massacred at the Supernova Sukkot gathering. Attendees there began fleeing in panic as Hamas terrorists arrived and began shooting, and the few who managed to reach their vehicles were met with gunfire and blocked roads. Those that hid were hunted down, raped and then they were taken hostage or murdered. The attack, and all of the other attacks perpetrated by Hamas, deserve nothing less than unequivocal condemnation.

Now, in light of that, what was the response of the NDP MPP for Hamilton Centre? There was a post posted on October 10. Let’s remember that October 10 was just a few days after October 7. We were still just figuring out what had happened. There were two parts to the post: There was the statement itself, and the post on X, formerly called Twitter, which attached the statement.

Let’s examine how the MPP for Hamilton Centre responded to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. What were her first words in the face of this unspeakable horror? The Hamilton Centre MPP posted a two-paragraph statement, and this is what she said: first of all, some irrelevant nonsense stating that the MPP for Hamilton Centre was reflecting on her role as a politician in this “settler colonial” system—I guess that was just a side smear on the Legislature. Then, she followed that with a “#FreePalestine.” Then, her statement called for an immediate ceasefire. This was on October 10, just a few days after this unspeakable terrorist attack on Israel when Israel was still reeling from the attack. If we all reflect—if something traumatic happens to you, you can’t think, especially something this traumatic.

On October 10, she posted this when Israel was still reeling from the attack, had had barely a chance to regroup and to start to defend itself, even while Hamas was holding hostages, perhaps as many as 200 hostages taken from Israel, which itself is a war crime, which they are still doing—this is when the MPP for Hamilton Centre was asking for an immediate ceasefire, even while Hamas continued bombing Israel, its rescue forces and those who were trying to give the people who had been murdered so viciously a decent burial.

Her statement also smeared Israel, this very recent victim of a horrific terrorist attack, as an apartheid state. It states—her statement—that the solution is the end of the State of Israel. She specifically rues the ongoing violence on October 10, but she doesn’t say a word against the terrorist attack against Israel or its innocent citizens. Not a word for those innocent human beings who were slaughtered in Israel. Not even a word for the 40 innocent Arab Israelis—at least 40 that I know of at this point—who were killed in the terrorist attack on Israel, nor the six Canadians who were killed in the terrorist attack on Israel, nor the people from other countries who were killed in the terrorist attack on Israel—not a word for any of them.

CIJA, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said this in response to the statement by the MPP for Hamilton Centre: “Israeli babies beheaded, Israeli young women raped, more than 100 Israeli men, women & children kidnapped, and 900 & counting murdered at the hands of #Hamas terrorists and this is what the Ontario MPP ... has to say.

“This statement is filled with lies that will do nothing to create peace and will only serve to foment hatred against Canada’s Jewish community.

“We call for the immediate removal of”—the MPP from Hamilton Centre. That was the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs when she posted her statement.

This is fundamentally where the problem is. In the face of horror, the MPP from Hamilton Centre could not spare a first thought for the victims of this terrorist attack and their families—not one thought, not one moment. That is fundamentally racist. It is anti-Semitic. It is overlooking the humanity of the people who were attacked. It is conduct unbecoming a member of this Legislature. We all say every day that there should be no hate, no racism of any kind, and anti-Semitism is a type of racism, perhaps the oldest.

We have all said this in this House, but it’s much worse when an individual member of the Legislature does not live up to this standard and says something which is fundamentally anti-Semitic and racist in the face of the most horrific tragedy. This is a member sworn to represent all constituents, and we’ve heard that she has Jewish constituents. All the member had to do was to apologize and retract her statement and issue a statement condemning Hamas’ terrorist attacks, as she should have done originally. This is the position of the New Democratic Party, which she belongs to. Although unfortunately, today, they did not vote in line with that position, that is their stated public position on the issue at the time of the post anyway.

The statement by the NDP leader, the member for Davenport, on October 11, condemned the statement from the member for Hamilton Centre. The leader of the New Democratic Party released a statement saying the MPP’s message was not approved by her caucus. She asked her to retract it and instead asked her to clearly state “that she decries any violence against both Israeli and Palestinian people.” The NDP leader said, “This statement does not reflect our party’s position, which is articulated in our federal party’s statement ... The terrorist attacks by Hamas on thousands of innocent Israeli civilians are unjustifiable and must be condemned unequivocally.” But the member has not done that, not to this day.

Our Premier called on the member from Hamilton Centre to step down. He said, “As Premier, I’m doing what”—the Leader of the Opposition won’t do, calling on her—“to resign immediately” as the member for Hamilton Centre. Then the member for Hamilton Centre offered what could best be described as a very tepid apology, a simple post buried in the comments section of her X post, just two words really: “I apologize.” That was the whole sentence. That was it. She did not even bother to say exactly what she was apologizing for.

As Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, noted, “The MPP from Hamilton Centre has never properly apologized to the Jewish community for her prior offensive statements. Now, as our community faces an onslaught of barbaric terrorism, your comments are devoid of even one word of condemnation against Hamas. You do not deserve to sit in the opposition’s caucus in Ontario.” He went on to call on the NDP leader to immediately remove the MPP from caucus.

But there was never any retraction of that statement, even though her leader asked for a retraction. Indeed, the MPP from Hamilton Centre doubled down on it by pinning it on the top of her X feed, highlighting it. Leaving the post up is contributing to inflaming the situation. She is continuing to foment hatred.

A recent op-ed by David Matas, senior legal council of B’nai Brith, and Sarah Teich, a member of the B’nai Brith Canada’s Matas Law Society, stated, “In Canada, the Jewish population, according to Statistics Canada, is the most vulnerable identity group by far on a per capita basis.... This disproportionate victimization is directly linked to past anti-Zionist rallies and the propaganda which incites them.” These rallies are “straight bigotry, endorsing these killings and kidnappings.”

Now, as the government House said, it’s expected that members are going to have comments, sometimes unpopular opinions, but we cannot allow them to compromise the sanctity, the value of this institution and respect for this institution. And that’s why Parliaments over the course of history have acted swiftly to condemn members and censure members when there has been a problem. And that’s why we’re arguing this motion today.

There is unanimity amongst the members of this Legislature, by the way, on this issue, despite how people vote sometimes, despite what the member for Ottawa Centre said, the leader of the independent Liberals. Previously, he had said, “This is about innocent lives. And that tweet left the impression that those innocent lives, that somehow they had it coming. Somehow, what did you expect? It didn’t recognize the utter inhumanity of what happened.” That was the member for Ottawa Centre.

CIJA said just yesterday on X, “By pinning her statement to her profile, after specifically being asked to retract it,” the member for Hamilton Centre “demonstrates that her ‘apology’ was nothing but empty words. No minority community would tolerate this.

“We once again reiterate our call for her immediate removal from the NDP caucus.”

We must hold the members—all of us, ourselves, each other—to the highest possible standard. And even the Leader of the Opposition said the member from Hamilton Centre should apologize and retract the statement. Yet, the member has not. That’s all three parties in this Legislature, and we haven’t heard from the Green member. But otherwise, everybody.

So what is the problem here? Never acknowledging the terror attack that started this. We’ve often said this: You have to name these things. You have to call them out: a tepid apology, a statement that has still not been retracted, doubling down on that statement and sticking it in the face of everybody for all to see, and she did all of this with the coat of arms of the Legislature beside her name. In doing so, she tainted the reputation of this great institution, our democratic ideals and all of the institutions that uphold them. Her conduct, I would say, is disreputable, and it brings shame on this institution and all of us by association with it.

Even long-time members of the NDP think that the MPP for Hamilton Centre should resign. Hershl D. Berman, who ran in the last provincial election for the NDP and in the last three federal elections and has been a member of the party since 1984, said this this week about the member from Hamilton Centre. He said this “caused great harm to the Jewish community in Ontario. While Hamas was attacking our friends and family she posted remarks on her ‘X’ page that were inappropriate and deeply hurtful. She was asked to withdraw them but she did not, and her subsequent statements were inadequate and unacceptable.

“This is the latest incident in a pattern of anti-Semitic behaviour that predates her election to the Ontario NDP caucus. Her actions demonstrate that she is neither fit to speak for the New Democratic Party nor to hold elected office.

“I therefore respectfully ask our leader ... to expel her from the ONDP caucus, and I call” on the MPP from Hamilton Centre “to resign as a member of provincial Parliament.” And that is from a long-time member of the NDP, a former candidate.

I guess what I would ask is, if the member for Hamilton Centre thinks she’s participating in a somewhat distasteful Legislature, a distasteful place, then she could step down quite easily. She doesn’t seem to have respect for this institution. As Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada said in a recent Toronto Sun article, all of us “must start asking ourselves who we are, and how much more of this evil incitement we are willing to condone” or just ignore because, as I said before, I think it will infect everything.

He went on: “Think about this: A Hamas terrorist called for a holy war on all Jewish people, and there are Canadians celebrating it.” They’re handing out cake here in our multicultural society. He concluded, “You cannot support the actions of Hamas while also claiming to believe in a multicultural and diverse Canada.”

We have a place here called a Parliament—speak, “parler,” “Parlement.” Words matter. That’s what this place is about and these are her words.

And I just want to mention that a representative of the National Council of Canadian Muslims held a press conference yesterday, and I read a transcript of everything that was said. One of the points he made repeatedly was that words matter, that words have consequences, and they absolutely impact people—even the words that we’re talking about here today and the words in the tweet.

Well, I think we all agree, and that is why we brought this motion. But that representative, despite confirming that words matter, could not understand the relevance of this motion. He said the National Council for Canadian Muslims “do not see it as a problem,” but many others do, I can assure you, including my colleagues and myself.

Let me try to explain quickly why it’s important because I think it’s important that everybody understand. We all want peace. Nobody wants anyone to be hurt. No civilians anywhere should be hurt, especially not innocent civilians going about their business. But our shared humanity requires that we value every human life. Human rights are attributed to all of us—Jew, Muslim, Israeli, Gazan and, yes, Canadian—because we are human beings. Every life is sacred—every Jewish life, every Muslim life, every Israeli life, every Gazan life. If we do not accept that as the foundation and let each other live according to your own religion and beliefs, or lack thereof, here in Canada, then we will not ever be able to have peace and live together. Our society will be torn apart. This is fundamental.

Now, any statement that I and my colleagues and this government have made about this issue have been statements condemning a recognized terrorist group, not Gazans generally—or Palestinians or Muslims. The innocent people of Gaza should be able to have safe passage. The innocent Israeli citizens should not have been so brutally murdered in a terrorist attack, but calling for an immediate ceasefire without letting Israel recover its hostages, secure its borders and eliminate the ongoing threat of further attacks coming from Hamas is just not tenable. It is strategically intolerable.

“Legitimate defense can be only a right but also a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm.” Furthermore, as “it happens that the need to render the aggressor incapable of causing harm, sometimes involves taking his life.” That is a quote from Thomas Aquinas.

Aquinas argued that it was only in the pursuit of justice that the good intention of a moral act could justify negative consequences, including the killing of an innocent during war. Our United Nations charter says at article 51, “Nothing in the present charter shall impair the inherent right of an individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations, until the security council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.” Israel does have a right to defend itself. It can’t have a ceasefire before it has secured its own safety and the safety of its citizens, especially in light of what has happened.

That’s all we need to understand. We don’t have any problem with Muslims. We love everybody. We want everybody to get along. We don’t want anyone to die, especially not innocent civilians. But we’re here today to say if only the MPP for Hamilton Centre could agree, condemn the attack first and then talk about the rest of this.

I rise today to address matters of great importance. It really makes all of us sad. Each one of us watched in horror as children, the elderly and even Holocaust survivors were kidnapped, beaten and slaughtered at the hands of Hamas.

Speaker, I’m outraged by the terrorist attack by Hamas against civilians. That is the key, and that is the problem with all this that we are talking about. They are civilians and Hamas are terrorists. Indeed, they are a terrorist organization that decided to violate the laws of nations and nature in this bloody, preplanned massacre, and I say it is preplanned. As I was watching on TV, I could see there is a guidebook that they go by, and the group were just going by that. They really want to torture the Jewish community, and it’s really sad.

Hamas murderers slaughtered hundreds of innocents. The dead are not just Israelis but Canadians, our Canadians, and citizens of countries around the world. We have six Canadians who lost their lives because of this. We have two other Canadians who have been reported missing. The heartbreaking images, videos and stories are still coming out. As I’m sitting here listening to a lot of our colleagues reminding us what they have seen in the videos, the saddest one is the most horrifying one, the babies being beheaded. And can you imagine the young women being raped and tortured? I can see all the bloody scenes as they come out from trucks and cars. This is sad.

Can you imagine some of our family members suffering this? I am about to hire a person who is from Israel. When I was talking to him, confirming his appointment a couple of weeks ago, he was so energetic. But last week as I was talking to him, he was so stressed out to the point that I said, “Should I offer you a couple of days not to come in and work for us yet and just make sure things are more settled at home in Israel?” This is how sad things are. We will not feel it as much if we do not have family members going through the same thing.

I stand here to defend Israel for doing what they need to do to defend themselves from this inexplicable and obscene violence. It is very sad, and at one point when I first saw all these things going on, in fact, I was praying for peace. Like MPP Fraser was saying, let’s not talk about it; let’s have peace. I agree. We all wish for peace. We all see the innocence of the Palestinians and all the Israelis. However, they are innocent people. It’s the terrorists who have committed all these crimes; we have to stop it. We have to really hold justice. Not only do we have to hold justice—if somebody is going around murdering people, will we have police? Will we have our own forces going out to grab these people and put them into jail? This is called justice. We have a justice system. Why can’t we apply the same thing internationally? We are not encouraging more wars. I appreciate what Israel has already decided, that, “Okay, we’re not going to continue to fire if you just release all the hostages and stop and make sure that they are secure, that they are safe. Then we can have further talks.” But this is not coming from Hamas.

When I first heard that they have no water, they have no gas and they have no electricity, I say, my heart goes out to the Palestinians as well. I say, they are innocent people; come on, give them water; give them gas; give them electricity. Then I realize it is not the Israelis who are doing that. It really gets confused. They create that confusing vision and, in fact, it is done by Hamas. The bombing we have all talked about—I have people coming to me and saying how sad it is that the bombing of the hospital has so many of them killed. But it’s not that. The bomb is done by Hamas. They were trying to aim at the Israelis, but then they overshot a little bit and then they hurt their own people. How sad this is. This has to stop. This is why we’re standing up here, to make this stop.

I’m sad to witness also the conduct of one of our MPP colleagues. It is also with a heavy heart that I have to do so, as we are not here to pass judgment lightly. However, when a member’s actions undermine the principles of equality, fairness and respect that underpin all our democratic institutions, it is our duty to stand up and make our voices heard.

Our democracy thrives on the diversity of opinions and ideas, on the robust debates that shape our policies and on the open and honest exchange of views.

Yes, we can do that. However, there is a line; this line must not be crossed. This line represents the boundary between free speech and discrimination, between legitimate criticism and hate speech. It is a line that the member for Hamilton Centre has unfortunately crossed.

We gather here today not to stifle dissent or to silence voices, but to ensure that the principles of respect, tolerance and understanding are upheld. It is serious that the member of Hamilton Centre used social media to make anti-Semitic and discriminatory statements related to the existence of the State of Israel and its defence against Hamas terrorists.

We have to stop that, because this is affecting our own institution. Anti-Semitism, like all forms of hate, has no place in a just and equal society. Our government has made it clear: We have no tolerance of any hate crimes. No tolerance means no tolerance at all, whether they are a member in our caucus here. Discrimination against any group, be it based on religion, race or any other factors, is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of freedom, democracy and human rights that our great province was founded on.

The allegations against the member of Hamilton Centre, if substantiated, reflect poorly on this institution and all of us. They undermine the trust that the public places in their elected representatives to conduct themselves with honour and integrity. This is why all of us speak out and really want to protect—protect and make sure that what we are fighting for, for all Ontarians, is exactly what they want us to do. It is imperative that we send a clear and unequivocal message that such behaviour is not acceptable.

We must also recognize that the use of social media is a powerful tool, one that can be used for both good and ill.

That’s why we have been asking the member, the member for Hamilton Centre, to really take down that message from social media and also apologize, really sincerely apologize—for this is not the right thing to do. We all understand that we all have our own personal beliefs in different things, but when we are representatives in this House, this is not something that we can mess up or have confusion about. It’s our job. It’s our responsibility. When we spread hate or misinformation, it can have serious and far-reaching consequences.

Madam Speaker, I believe, that as elected representatives we have to lead by example. We must demonstrate that we can engage in robust debate without resorting to personal attacks, discrimination or hate speech. We must show that we can address complex and divisive issues with respect and empathy, even when we disagree passionately. And this is what this House is trying to do. We want to resolve it in the right way and make sure we voice out that the justice is being held.

In this spirit, I support the motion before this House—a motion that expresses our disapproval of the member for Hamilton Centre’s conduct and calls on her to desist from further inappropriate behaviour. It also authorizes you, Madam Speaker, to not recognize the member for Hamilton Centre in the House until she retracts and deletes her statement on social media and makes an apology in her place in this House.

This is not a decision to be taken lightly. It is a measure of last resort. It is a step we take with a heavy heart but with a clear understanding that this is the responsibility we bear as stewards of this institution. It is not about stifling dissent or suppressing legitimate criticism; it’s about upholding the principles that make our democracy strong.

Madam Speaker, I want to reiterate that our democratic system is built on the idea that we can disagree without being disagreeable. It is built on the belief that we can engage in passionate debates without resorting to discrimination or hate. It is built on the promise of equality, fairness and respect for all.

The motion is a reaffirmation of these principles, and I urge all members to support it.

Yes, we support peace. However, we really have to solve the problem. We also have to hold justice. We also have to make sure that our institution is doing all the right things.

At this point, I would like to reflect on a few quotes from the community and from the public and see what others are saying, not only just in this House—we want to see what are the public saying and how can we work with them to support that we are making this decision.

Just now, I understand the MPP for Eglinton–Lawrence has already quoted Mr. Berman—and this is the one I agree, that it really strikes me. He is a former NDP—and he has been a 40-year member of the NDP, and he’s a former federal and provincial candidate. And yet, he said, “This week Sarah Jama caused great harm to the Jewish community.... While Hamas was attacking our friends and family she posted remarks on her ‘X’ page that were inappropriate and deeply hurtful. She was asked to withdraw them but she did not, and her subsequent statements were inadequate and unacceptable.

“This is the latest incident in a pattern of anti-Semitic behaviour that predates her election to the Ontario NDP caucus. Her actions demonstrate that she is neither fit to speak for the New Democratic Party nor to hold elected office.”

Allow me to read some others as well, because I have a whole list of different quotes from different people, and they all speak about the same thing—it’s something that we need to listen to.

This is from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs: “Israeli babies beheaded, Israeli young women raped, more than 100 Israeli men, women, & children kidnapped, and 900 & counting murdered at the hands of #Hamas terrorists and this is what Ontario MPP @SarahJama_ has to say.

“This statement is filled with lies that will do nothing to create peace & will only serve to foment hatred against #Canada’s Jewish community.

“We call for the immediate removal of Jama.”

Yes, a lot of us want peace. What she has done is not peace at all but is really making it worse and is another slam in a lot of people’s faces and is on the hurtful feeling of all the Israeli community.

I’d like to read one more before I close off. This is from Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center: “We are outraged by this statement from @SarahJama_ and her refusal to acknowledge the atrocities committed by the terror group Hamas against Israeli civilians....

“Not for the first time, she has caused hurt and harm to the Jewish community and brought shame to Ontarians, including her constituents in Hamilton Centre. It’s long past time for the @OntarioNDP to take decisive action and remove her from its caucus, once and for all.”

I will have to agree with what the public is telling us, and I agree with the motion that we put forward in front of us that we really want to, and it is our job, to remove the member for Hamilton Centre. We have no choice but to act to defend the dignity of this institution on behalf of all of our constituents.

At this time, I would like to ask all of our members to join us. Yes, we work for peace, but we also have other actions to do to make sure we have justice proclaimed and to make sure we stop provoking one another. Especially, I’m very against the forced lies in front of us when Hamas is creating false information that Israel is shutting down water, gas and electricity and bombing Gaza. This is a wrong and confusing image that was presented.

I want all of us to really hold up to justice. Especially at this time, I would also say that we have no choice but to act to defend the dignity of this institution on behalf of our constituents. We will ask the member for Hamilton Centre not to continue to be in this Parliament.

Further debate?

I’m just so disappointed to be rising today with a motion like this. I’m disappointed because I’m very proud to be here as an MPP.

I would like to cite, to start, the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario. He has published on his website that “MPPs are expected to perform their duties of office and arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity of each member, maintains the Legislative Assembly’s dignity and justifies the respect in which society holds the assembly and its members.” It was through this lens that I sought to answer the question as to whether the continued actions—not just the recent actions, but the continued actions—of the member for Hamilton Centre were unbecoming of a member and reflective of censure.

I don’t think it escapes any one of us that—just take a look at Reddit or other social media forums to be reminded that no matter what our political stripe is and no matter what we say or do, there are individuals who will denounce us and our motivations as an MPP simply for being a member of our particular political party. I get that too. My community has not historically supported Progressive Conservative members. It’s tough to take. I’ve been in the public eye back home for the better part of the last 15 years. Eight days from now, actually, it will be nine continuous years that I will have served as an elected official.

I ask out loud, Speaker, why do we as members seek to serve as elected officials? Are we to truly interpret that when we achieve an election result, it’s an endorsement of our individual personal views? Or are we here in spite of those views? Are we here because of our party? Or are we here because we’re the least of the worst options? Are we here to be of service to our community members? Are we here to engage respectfully with those who disagree with us?

Speaker, one memory I’ll never forget, and it has to do with our party, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. We had a convention about five years ago. It took place just a few weeks after the election of the then-government. There were new faces who arrived and new voices, and they decided to use their voices and their votes to escalate a previously rejected resolution that insulted Ontario’s gender identities. This vote was widely reported in the media and reflected poorly on all of us as PC members who were in attendance at that convention. It was truly a difficult wake-up call that if you don’t use your voice, someone else will use it for you.

In this case, I put in a call to the Premier. Despite the criticism we heard this morning, I think it’s terrific that the Premier gives his phone number to constituents all across Ontario. At the time, I was nobody special. I picked up the phone and I called him. I left a voicemail. I said in that message that I entered public life because I wanted to help people, and I could not understand how this resolution that was brought forward at our convention and being now considered by the party could actually help to make someone’s life better. Well, a few minutes later, the Premier returned that call, and later that day, the Premier announced that this resolution would never be adopted in a provincial government that he leads.

The Premier’s actions demonstrated a moral clarity. His heart is rooted in helping people. As I said, I was a nobody, and he returned my call. The contrast in the approaches that we’ve seen in this House since that time has not been lost on me.

Speaker, we live in a world today where very little can be or is attempted to be hidden. That’s why, in the early morning of October 7, relayed to the entire world was the outright celebration of the killing of civilians, with images circulated by those having been proud to have committed those crimes. That image of the young woman, dead, paraded as a trophy in the back of a pickup truck, is one that I will certainly never forget, and I doubt anyone else will either. How could anybody possibly celebrate this?

In light of these events, the member for Hamilton Centre attended a rally on October 8. It was dubbed as a celebration of the heroic Palestinian resistance. The same rally was incidentally decried by Toronto mayor Olivia Chow. This event occurred the day after the Hamas terrorist organization had killed an estimated 800 Israelis and taken at least 100 hostages, including mothers, children and the elderly. Mayor Chow noted, “Glorifying this weekend’s indiscriminate violence, including murder and kidnapping of women and children by Hamas against Israeli civilians is deplorable.” Our Prime Minister also noted, “I strongly condemn the demonstrations that have taken place, and are taking place, across the country in support of Hamas’s attacks on Israel.”

Days later, on October 10, the member for Hamilton Centre posted to her social media feed, armed with our provincial crest and her title as MPP, with a statement that cited that the “violence and retaliation” was “rooted in settler colonialism.” It lacked any empathy for the victims of the senseless murders and atrocities of Israeli civilians that should have been owed. The member’s statement was prefaced with, “I’m reflecting on my role as a politician who is participating in this settler colonial system, and I ask that all politicians do the same.”

Later, on October 10, the Leader of the Opposition published that she had asked the MPP, the member for Hamilton Centre, to retract her statement, noting, “The terrorist attacks by Hamas on thousands of innocent Israeli citizens are unjustifiable and must be condemned unequivocally.” I thank the Leader of the Opposition for making that clear statement at the time.

Steve Paikin, writing for the Trillium, noted, “But is that a smart thing to tweet right now, as the corpses of 1,000 dead Israelis are still being collected and taken to graveyards, and when her leader, Marit Stiles, has asked her to take the message down? There are two synagogues within 10 minutes’ drive of”—the member’s—“constituency office. I wonder how their members feel about that statement?”

So 24 hours later was the next action taken, but it wasn’t the member for Hamilton Centre who retracted their statement; it was the Leader of the Opposition who retracted hers. The original statement from the member for Hamilton Centre remains intact, published for maximum exposure as a pinned post. It’s meant to be seen. It is there to be as visible as possible to anyone who visits that feed. Yes, the words “I apologize” were appended in the comments and were, together with moderated concern for the Hamas violence with reference to historical actions in Gaza.

Speaker, I recall having been here for the first statement in this House by the member for Hamilton Centre. It was on April 3; it was my brother’s birthday. She said at the time in her opening statement: “The issues I care a lot about are health care, housing and climate and making sure to tackle the disabling conditions caused by harmful legislation in the House. I’m not here to be preoccupied by the strange rituals or this colonial building. I’m here because Hamilton Centre knows that I am a fighter and I’m going to make sure that people are protected, that we’re fighting for health care, housing and the issues that people need to live, because people are dying, Mr. Speaker, because of harm caused in this House.”

As noted earlier, most of our first statements are celebratory in nature and full of optimism. This is a denigration of the work that we do. In referring to our legislative affairs as being a settler-colonial system, strange rituals, a colonial building and disabling conditions caused by harmful legislation in this House, the member’s statements back then demonstrated a disrespect for the work carried out here over and above the disrespect demonstrated toward her own constituents of the Jewish faith in her statement.

Speaker, there is truly room for respectful dialogue in this House. Members can raise legitimate grievances on behalf of Palestinians, including opposing settlement expansion in the West Bank, humanitarian concerns for Gazans living under the terrorist government of Hamas and grievances relating to the resettlement of Palestinians at the founding of the modern state of Israel. Similarly, people of the Jewish faith have a legitimate grievance on the account of the 3,000-year history in Israel and attempts to harm them and remove them from these lands throughout history.

The rhetoric of colonialism, settlers and apartheid as invoked by the member for Hamilton Centre is hardly collaborative, respectful or empathetic to all who have opinions in our communities. There are legitimate historical claims on all sides. As MPPs, we are truly responsible to respond to those opinions with compassion, with empathy, dignity and respect for the position being articulated, whether we agree with it or not.

Speaker, I’d like to cite some posts made on X by a constituent of mine. His name is Noah Tepperman. Mr. Tepperman is a long-standing activist, a truly incredible canvasser, fundraiser and organizer for the NDP riding association of Windsor–Tecumseh. Certainly, he was on my predecessor’s campaign over and over again and does a heck of a job. He is a household name, truly well-respected, and he possesses a moral clarity in his own right that most of us can only hope to achieve. Mr. Tepperman published this on X: “As we wrestle with the news that ‘dozens of babies were reportedly found dead, including some that had been beheaded’ in a kibbutz stormed by Hamas”—the member for Hamilton Centre—“who has already alienated and written off the majority of her constituent Jewish community—stands in solidarity with Hamas.”

But Mr. Tepperman also put forward a very interesting statement with respect to something completely different, a different response—another individual who is critical of the situation at hand. His response to her was this: “This is a great example of an opportunity to practise diversity, equity and inclusion. Someone received what you said as being problematic. The response should be to pause, express regret for that impact, acknowledge the disconnect between your intent and impact, bring curiosity, and ask for help understanding.”

The Leader of the Opposition and the member for Hamilton Centre would have done very well to heed Mr. Tepperman’s wise counsel, but neither appear to have chosen that path.

It appears that the concerns expressed back in March by Michael Mostyn, B’nai Brith Canada’s chief executive officer, have fallen on deaf ears. Back at that time he noted, “There should be no room in the Legislature for a member whose demonizing of the Jewish state will only lead to more hate aimed at Jews in Ontario.”

Marvin Rotrand, national director of the League of Human Rights, noted the member for Hamilton Centre’s “candidacy reinforces the perception that there’s an anti-Semitism problem in the Ontario NDP and an unwillingness to seriously confront it.... It doesn’t take much research to discover the member’s animus towards the Jewish state.” Speaker, even if the thoughts were well intentioned and true, who can truly sit here and feel comfortable to be referenced in this way?

On March 15 of this year, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center met the Leader of the Opposition for what the centre described as “a frank discussion on anti-Semitism linked to” the now member for Hamilton Centre. During the meeting, President and CEO Michael Levitt brought up two incidents that had already occurred involving the member and expressed disappointment over the failure by both individuals—both the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Hamilton Centre—to publicly acknowledge the harm done, to apologize and communicate a commitment to confront anti-Semitism. The FSWC added that it had “proposed a constructive road forward” by “offering anti-Semitism education to the Ontario NDP” caucus. We haven’t heard of further action on the part of the Leader of the Opposition with respect to these actions for the member for Hamilton Centre.

On May 2, the Ontario NDP proceeded to publish on today’s X, formerly Twitter, that the MPP for Hamilton Centre retweeted a tweet by American academic Noura Erakat concerning the death of Khader Adnan and later un-retweeted it: “The content of the tweet does not reflect the views of the member or the Ontario NDP.”

B’nai Brith responded, “Khader Adnan was not a martyr for freedom. He was a convicted terrorist and member of PIJ: a listed entity in Canada. Endorsing such a narrative is an affront to his innocent victims and is unbecoming of an elected official.”

Speaker, this House is governed by decorum and procedures as published. As a candidate for the NDP and as an MPP proper, it is your role and responsibility to not only represent and maintain the credibility required to support your community, but to not consciously and deliberately undertake actions that leave your own standing, that of your caucus and that of your leader in disrepute. I entered politics because I wanted to help people. How many residents of Hamilton Centre are being helped by the member’s statement, by her participation in the rally, by the words that she speaks and by the repeated condemnation of the words that she publishes?

In closing, I’m unable to consider the repeated actions of the member for Hamilton Centre as being consistent with the standard of duty expected of members of provincial Parliament, and I will be supporting the motion as presented.