Newmarket resident Shameela Shakeel can recall the phone call booting her from volunteering for the NDP during the 2022 provincial campaign.
While at her home, then Newmarket-Aurora NDP candidate Denis Heng called her after a Sun newspaper article attacking her for previous comments criticizing Israel, which had resulted in her being dropped from a run to be a Liberal candidate. Although Heng was aware of that when the local party brought on Shakeel, he said the party wanted to remove her as a volunteer.
“Just the most upside-down thing I’ve ever seen,” Shakeel said. “I just said, ‘I don’t understand this. I’m a volunteer. We’re all entitled to our own opinions and thoughts on Palestinian human rights.’”
The provincial NDP is facing controversy this week after removing MPP Sarah Jama from the caucus. Jama was blasted for a statement Oct. 10 calling for an immediate ceasefire and criticizing the Israeli government for bombing and withholding resources to Gaza, calling it an apartheid regime. That statement ultimately led to Jama getting censured in the legislature this week.
It was not a surprising turn, Shakeel said, with Jama being outspoken on the issue in the past.
“A lot of us are just realizing there’s just so much work to do around anti-colonial systems. We’re just having to fight these colonial institutions,” Shakeel said. “Everything around is set up for white supremacy, and it’s just really, really frustrating.
“It’s only OK to have a moral high ground for Israel and for the pain and suffering Israelis have felt. But it’s not OK to speak out (for) Palestinian human rights and suffering. That’s where a lot of people are just saying there’s a disconnect and double standard, and we’re tired of it,” Shakeel added.
In a statement regarding the removal of Jama, NDP leader Marit Stiles said the party welcomes differing viewpoints but that Jama had not worked co-operatively.
“She has undertaken a number of unilateral actions that have undermined our collective work and broken the trust of her colleagues,” Stiles said in a news release.
The NDP never gave a public reason why it removed Shakeel as a volunteer. The party did not respond to a request for comment before publication deadline.
Shakeel was similarly removed from the competition to be the local Liberal candidate, with the party also not providing a precise explanation.
Shakeel came under fire from the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation when she was running to be a Liberal candidate. It called out her support for embattled teacher Javier Dávila, and a social media post where she said Hamas was originally funded by Israel, and Palestinians have faced occupation since 1948. These positions are not universally condemned, with Independent Jewish Voices of Canada saying it saw nothing wrong with those positions.
However, Shakeel said people are listening to the plight of Palestinians. She is the mother of part Palestinian children, and many have called her to check on her family.
She said the NDP will face a continued backlash over the removal of Jama.
“This is really going to have a huge impact on the NDP, in terms of their ability to get volunteers for the next election,” she said. “They have really underestimated the shift that’s happening ... Canadians who are just saying enough is enough, Palestinian human rights matter as well.”
The education advocate is still working, advocating at school boards for support for Palestinian students facing targeting and racism due to the conflict. She added that Jewish families are also facing that.
Despite her political experiences, she said she is still a member of the Liberal party and hopes to drive change locally. She said she is also disappointed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not calling for a ceasefire, as Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen and 32 other MPs have done.
“As disappointed as I am with some of the decisions that are being made by our leaders, I’m still hopeful that the average person can still try to make an impact,” Shakeel said.
