Doug Ford will not remove MPP from caucus amid allegations of 'dangerous rhetoric' on social media

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said he will not be removing one of his MPPs from caucus following calls from two Muslim groups who claim she used ‘dangerous rhetoric’ on her social media.

Both the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC) and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) released statements on Thursday condemning Progressive Conservative MPP Goldie Ghamari's social media posts on platform X.

“The continued and blatant propagation of anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobia by an elected official is alarming and unacceptable. This behaviour has persisted for weeks without consequence,” the CMPAC, a non-profit organization that fights Islamophobia, said in an open letter to the premier.

“No elected official should use their platform in this manner without being held accountable. The Ontario PC party needs to remove Ghamari from their caucus and the Ontario Legislature must censure this MPP for spreading hate and inciting violence.”

• Download our app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates right to your inbox

The NCCM said in its letter that Ghamari has “recycled some of the worst Islamophobic fear-mongering” by suggesting that the Muslim prayer “Allahu Akbar” could be considered a safety concern in a message posted to X on Nov. 7.

They also point out that she reposts messages that correlate the wearing of a headscarf to a “symbol of the subjugation of women throughout the Islamic world.”

There have also been instances in which the Carleton MPP calls out her NDP colleagues. In one case, on Nov. 19, she said MPP Joel Harden was “a mouthpiece for the terrorist Islamic Regime in Iran’s antisemitic Islamofascist propaganda.” She has also called now-independent MPP Sarah Jama a “terrorist sympathizer.”

Ghamari does also use her social media to call out instances of hate—both antisemitism and Islamophobia. On Nov. 18, she said that “attacking any religious institution or targeting people of any faith is completely unacceptable in Canada.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has called her a “vocal advocate” who has “demonstrated leadership in denouncing the horrific surge in antisemitism, Islamophobia and hatred on the streets of Canada since Oct. 7.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the premier said he would not be removing Ghamari from caucus.

“She has really been a strong voice for anti-Islamophobia, making sure we have zero tolerance,” he said. “No matter if it's antisemitism, or Islamophobia, it has no place here in Ontario.”

“When we see protests, we see businesses get their windows spraypainted and all the other nonsense. It's unacceptable.”

The Ford government spent a week making remarks about MPP Sarah Jama after she made a social media post expressing support for the Palestinian people and called for an end to the “occupation of Palestinian land.” The statement omitted any mention of Hamas or the attack that spurred the latest round of violence in the region.

• What you need to know about MPP Sarah Jama's censure

Jama was censured by the legislature as a result, which means she is now prevented from speaking until she apologizes and removes her posts.

The MPP for Hamilton-Centre, who is now an independent after being ousted from the New Democratic Party, is threatening legal action.

Both the NDP and the Liberals voted against the censure.

CTV News Toronto has reached out to Ghamari for comment but has not received a response.