The Hamilton Centre Ontario NDP riding association met online Monday to choose a new candidate following the decision of Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles to bar  Sarah Jama from being a candidate for the party.

Jama was removed from the NDP caucus in October 2023 following her remarks and actions regarding the war between Israel and Hamas.

Hamilton physician Robin Lennox won the nomination against registered nurse Aisha Jahangir.

Lennox says she will “continue the tradition of Hamilton Centre being an NDP riding.”

Dr. Lennox Known for Her Political Activism

Lennox is a family physician who specializes in addiction medicine. She is the Co-Head of the substance use service at St. Joseph’s Hospital, a physician with the shelter health network, and the medical director for the supervised consumption service at the YWCA.

She is also a member of the City of Hamilton’s public health sub-committee.

She says she is running to improve health outcomes for all, address gaps in Ontario’s health systems, repair and expand the social safety net, climate issues, housing, and food insecurity.

“I am just a frontline worker wanting to serve,” Lennox said.

She spoke about treating patients suffering from malnutrition, about seeing people who have full-time jobs but cannot afford their prescription medications because they do not have private health benefits and make too much income to receive government support for prescriptions.

Lennox opposes the City of Hamilton’s past blanket bans on encampments.

“The practice of medicine has always been political,” Lennox said.

Hamilton physician Dr. Robin Lennox during a December 2024 Hamilton Public Health Sub-Committee meeting. Credit: Joey Coleman

30 NDP Members Gathered at the ATU Hall for a Group Viewing of the Nomination

During Monday’s online nomination meeting, just over 30 members of the Hamilton Centre NDP gathered in person at the ATU 107 hall to discuss the future of the riding, participate in the online nomination together, and cast their ballots.

[The riding association roll had 381 active members at the call of the nomination period.]

Lennox planned to join them in person but sent last-minute regrets.

She stated her young daughter came home from school with a fever, “I could not miss bedtime tonight.”

Riding Association Execs Declare They Will Vote for Jama

Judging by the opinions expressed among those gathered at the ATU hall, Lennox will not be able to count on many identified NDP voters to support her.

Before the nomination meeting began, attendees introduced themselves and shared why they joined the NDP.

Most added that they will vote for Jama, regardless of who won the NDP nomination.

“This will be the first time I won’t vote NDP,” Tom Baker told his fellow party members.

Baker is also the current riding association president.

“I am voting for Sarah Jama; nothing can change my mind,” one member in the room stated.

Only two people stated they will vote for the NDP candidate.

One of them, long-time Hamilton Center NDP member Mike Belmore, questioned the executive members about their decision not to support the NDP candidate.

[Belmore posted a thoughtful thread on the matter to Bluesky.]

Riding association vice-president David Mivasair responded that being on the riding association executive at present is challenging, and they worked to ensure a fair nomination process.

Mivasair, a vocal supporter of Jama, recently posted a picture of his new Sarah Jama lawn sign on his personal social media accounts.

Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green, Ward 2 City Councillor Cameron Kroetsch, and Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann have all publicly endorsed Jama’s independent candidacy.

Hamilton physician Robin Lennox delivered her nomination campaign speech to Hamilton Centre Ontario NDP members on February 2, 2025.

Outreach Help Lennox Secure Nomination

Lennox spent the last few weeks reaching out to and meeting with NDP members, an outreach appreciated by some of Jama’s most ardent supporters.

Boos and Jeers for Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles

During her speech, Jahangir stated she was running to “win for the Marit Stiles Team,” drawing loud boos and jeers towards the video display among those in the ATU hall. Each reference to Stiles drew similar responses. [Stiles did not attend the Zoom meeting.]

Ontarians will go to the polls on February 27. (Hamilton Centre voters can learn more about voting from Elections Ontario here.)


Related: My opinion piece from last week explains the organizational strength of Jama’s independent riding association and why she is likely to win re-election.


Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: February 4, 2025
Last updated: February 4, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version

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9 Comments

  1. “I am voting for Sarah Jama; nothing can change my mind,” one member in the room stated.

    That is pretty telling, and seems like a common trait. No thinking involved.

    As far as booing the idea of “win for the Marit Stiles Team”, it would appear that Hamilton Center NDP are totally fine with Ford winning, as long as they can take pride in sticking it to, someone, or something. These are not serious people.

    1. It is the NDP that is totally fine with Ford winning. By not bring Jama back into the fold they have guaranteed a split vote in this riding. Absolutely unhinged response. The NDP deserves to lose.

      1. If you are in anyway suggesting that bringing Jama back into the NDP is likely to change the outcome of the election, as far as who our next Premier is, I am going to have to respectfully disagree.

        There is no reason not to like Robin Lennox. People being fans of celebrity politicians rather than being concerned about issues and governance is how we got Trump. I guess this kind of cult like mentality exists on both sides.

        1. She isn’t a celebrity politician. That is a totally false equivalency. I think people are in fact concerned with “issues”, including how their party handled this situation. The NDP are shooting themselves in the foot.

          1. Jama is an opportunist and only interested in her own agenda. Some of those that support her also highly support the field work of Dr Lennox is doing. Unfortunately they committed to support Jama before Lennox was nominated. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those supporting Jama with change their minds at the ballot box.

          2. When someone says ‘nothing can change my mind’ about voting for a politician, to me, that’s an endorsement of the individual, and nothing else. Not the party, not any ideas.

            Also I will say, if MPP Jama were brought back into the NDP fold and re-elected, and the first thing she did was declare the ONDP as a group of racists who don’t care about Hamilton Center residents, no one should be surprised. I don’t doubt she has good intentions. I doubt she has the same focus I am looking for in an MPP.

  2. Sarah Jama’s popularity is exaggerated and only exists within the far-left bubble of activists and academia. Dr. Robin Lennox and the NDP will easily win the riding given the NDP usually gets around 60% of the vote.

  3. For my part I will not be supporting her in this election though I did in the last one.
    My reasoning is the following. She stubbornly refused to abide by the requests of her party leader and the Legislature. She was well aware that the result of this would be her removal from caucus and sanction by the legislature thereby limiting her ability to be an effective representative for all of her constituents on the diverse issues effecting them. In so doing, in my opinion, she chose her own personal interests and emotions over her obligation to represent all of her constituents as an NDP caucus member which she was elected to do. In addition, it has been reported that she blamed a “Zionist lobby” for pressuring the Ontario government to silence her in the provincial legislature. In my opinion, this was a most inaccurate and unfortunate statement not worthy of an elected official.

  4. And I will be voting for Robin Lennox who has a career of achievements for the disadvantaged in Hamilton.

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