Ontario Premier Doug Ford has removed an MPP from his caucus for what he describes as “serious lapses in judgment.”
MPP Goldie Ghamari, representing the riding of Carleton, was expelled from the Progressive Conservative caucus, according to a statement released on June 28.
“This decision follows repeated instances of serious lapses in judgment and a failure to collaborate constructively with caucus leadership and as a team member,” the statement reads.
“While this decision was not made lightly, it has become evident that MPP Ghamari can no longer fulfill her role within our caucus.”
When asked for specifics on Ms. Ghamari’s removal, Mr. Ford’s office pointed to the statement and declined further comments.
Candice Coates, a spokesperson from Ms. Ghamari’s office, directed The Epoch Times to the MPP’s
social media response to the decision. “When one door closes, another one opens,” Ms. Ghamari expressed on X.
Earlier this week, Ms. Ghamari received criticism from the National Council of Canadian Muslims for sharing a screenshot of a video conversation with British activist Tommy Robinson. The organization
described their meeting as “completely unacceptable,” labeling past actions of both Mr. Robinson and Ms. Ghamari as “Islamophobic.”
In a
June 26 post on X, Ms. Ghamari stated that she met with Mr. Robinson “because I am an Iranian-Canadian immigrant who has been speaking out on behalf of human rights violations by the Islamic Regime in Iran against Iranians in Iran and their attempts to spy and threaten Iranians in Canada.”
“We discussed [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) terrorism], its impact in Canada, and the 6-year effort of the Iranian-Canadian diaspora to put the IRGC on the Canadian terror list,” she wrote.
Mr. Robinson, vice-chairman of the British Freedom Party and co-founder of the English Defence League, has been vocal about restricting immigration in the UK. While on a podcast tour in Canada, he was
arrested in Calgary on June 24 by the Canada Border Services Agency. The agency did not disclose the reason for the arrest due to privacy concerns.
Mr. Robinson was
released on June 25 with certain conditions, including being prohibited from leaving Calgary. On June 27, he posted a
video on social media, stating his intention to go to the immigration center the next day to negotiate a deal to depart Canada.
Ms. Ghamari expressed concerns about Mr. Robinson’s arrest in a
June 25 social media post, questioning why another individual, whom she mentioned had posed as a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and threatened Canadian politicians, including herself, was not arrested.