Ontario MPPs vote 78-0 to condemn Hamas, affirm Israel's right of self defence amid ongoing war

NDP abstained from vote after an amendment calling for ceasefire was shut down

Cbc.ca
Oct. 20, 2023

The Ontario legislature passed a motion 78-0 Thursday to condemn Hamas and affirm Israel's right to defend itself, as the war between the Palestinian militant group and Israel continues.

All Progressive Conservative and Liberal MPPs voted in favour of the motion, which was tabled by House Leader Paul Calandra on Monday. The NDP abstained from the vote.

The NDP had tried to amend the motion to include calls for an immediate ceasefire, for Hamas to release all of the hostages it took during its surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and for Canada to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The motion was passed after more than two days of lengthy debate that included impassioned addresses from many MPPS.

The legislature could also vote this week on a second motion Calandra tabled on Monday that would censure NDP MPP Sarah Jama for a post she made on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jama called for an immediate ceasefire as well as an "end to all occupation of Palestinian land." She focused largely on the Palestinian territories, saying "violence and retaliation rooted in settler colonialism have taken the lives of far too many innocent people."

She did not directly mention the Hamas attack that killed some 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, and also saw roughly 200 Israelis and citizens of other countries taken captive and brought to Gaza by militants.

At least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and about 12,500 wounded in Israeli strikes since Oct. 7, the health ministry in Gaza said on Thursday.

After public pressure from NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Jama apologized for her post but did not delete it. She remained in the NDP caucus, despite Premier Doug Ford calling for her to resign.

The PC's motion would effectively ban Jama from speaking in the legislative chamber until she retracts and deletes her statement and apologizes "in her place in the House."

The motion says Jama made "antisemitic and discriminatory statements" and defended "Hamas terrorists."

The NDP has argued during debate on the motion that Jama apologized and that removing an elected MPPs ability to speak in the house is a drastic step that shouldn't be taken lightly.