Golsa "Goldie" Ghamari MPP (Persian: گلسا قمری) is a Canadian politician who has represented the riding of Carleton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2018. Before entering politics, Ghamari was a lawyer who specialized in international trade law.
Goldie Ghamari | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Carleton | |
| Assumed office June 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Riding re-established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Golsa Ghamari Ahwaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran |
| Political party | Independent (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Conservative (until 2024) |
| Residence(s) | Barrhaven,[1] Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto University of Ottawa |
| Occupation | Politician |
On June 28, 2024, Ghamari was removed from the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario caucus by Doug Ford, party leader and premier, after she met with the British far-right figure Tommy Robinson.[2][3] In a statement, Ford's office said the premier was "extremely disappointed" that Ghamari had given Robinson a platform and that her denials surrounding the incident "speaks volumes about her judgment and honesty."[4]
Early life and career
editGhamari came to Canada at age one, after a failed assassination attempt against her father in their native Iran.[5] Her family sought to escape oppression in the Islamist regime in Iran following the revolution in 1979.
She holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto and a juris doctor from the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Common Law.[6] Ghamari was called to the bar of Ontario in 2013 and practiced international trade law before running for provincial office.[7]
Legal misconduct
editGhamari received her law license in 2013 but had eight "administrative" suspensions between June 2017 and July 2019 for issues such as failure to pay annual fees or file annual reports.[8]
In January 2019, one of Ghamari's former clients pursued an investigation with the LSO for failing to take action on his complaint, which caused him to lose an investment in his restaurant business.[8] Ghamari informed the Law Society of Ontario that she cut off communication with her client based on unsubstantiated rumors that he had ties in the past to a group designated by the federal government as a terrorist organization — an allegation not confirmed anywhere in the tribunal's ruling.[citation needed]
In its March 30 decision, the tribunal ruled that Ghamari, who had since become the Progressive Conservative MPP for Carleton, had "failed to co-operate" with an investigation.[8] Ghamari shared with the tribunal that she was undergoing mental health challenges as a result of an unexpected divorce from her husband and stated that was a contributing factor to her delays. Ghamari had concerns about its impact on her political career and was willing to share the details the Law Society sought in an in-camera meeting.[9]
In April 2021, The Ottawa Citizen reported that a tribunal conducted by the Law Society of Ontario had finalized their ruling to suspend Ghamari's licence to practice law suggesting Ghamari had “engaged in professional misconduct and/or conduct unbecoming a licensee.”.[10] Allegations, according to the Law Society's draft order and sworn affidavits, cited that a former client had filed a complaint alleging that he had paid her a retainer in 2017 to help him pursue a real estate-related claim.[11] The client argued she didn't fulfill the terms of the retainer.[citation needed]
Ghamari was further accused of "utterly stonewalling" the investigation over the past two years as the tribunal repeatedly attempted to collect relevant information, including Ghamari's call and text logs with the client covering the six-month period in question. While Ghamari stated "I'm aware that the Law Society Act requires me to disclose relevant information", she argued, "I do believe that the Law Society should not have blanket authorization access to my political and campaign calls and records, especially because they contain highly sensitive personal information of other political people based on the nature of my position as an elected official."[9]
Ghamari maintained her refusal to provide the information citing a PC Party Confidentiality Pact[12] despite there being no evidence presented prior to nor during the hearing by Ghamari or her duty counsel to suggest the PC Party's confidentiality agreement would override a lawyer's obligation to disclose the requested information under the Law Society Act.[citation needed]
Political career
editIn February 2018, Ghamari alleged that Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, intimidated her and tried to encourage her not to seek public office. She said the encounter occurred during the 2016 Ontario PC Party convention in Ottawa. As a result of the allegations, there was an internal party investigation, but the party found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Hillier.[13]
Ghamari was first elected to represent the riding of Carleton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the 2018 general election as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.[14] She was re-elected in 2022 election.[15]
Ghamari has stated that it was unacceptable that students in the suburban areas of Ottawa lacked access to adequate school bus services.[16] Furthermore, she has advocated for laws to ensure that children are required to wear lifejackets while in lakes or boating activities.[17]
Removal from caucus
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2024) |
Ontario premier Doug Ford issued a statement on June 28, 2024, that Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus, citing "repeated serious lapses in judgement".[18] Ghamari had recently had a virtual meeting with Tommy Robinson, the founder and former leader of the far-right English Defence League, ostensibly to discuss the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[18] Robinson has a history of convictions on a number of offences in the United Kingdom and, just days before the meeting with Ghamari, had been arrested in Calgary for misrepresenting himself to immigration officials while entering Canada for a speaking tour sponsored by right-wing media outlet Rebel News.[19]
After Ghamari posted on social media about their meeting, the National Council of Canadian Muslims urged the Ford Government to remove Ghamari from their caucus, reminding them of Robinson's known ties to Islamophobia.
Ford's office initially said in a written statement that the premier was "extremely disappointed" in Ghamari's decision to give a platform to someone whose behavior and beliefs are at odds with those of the government.
Ghamari wrote in a subsequent statement that she condemns all forms of Islamophobia and antisemitism, and that she was not aware of Robinson's history prior to their meeting.
Ford's office says he decided to remove her from caucus after that follow-up statement, with a spokesperson for the premier saying it "speaks volumes about her judgment and honesty."
Political positions
editClimate change
editIn 2018, Ghamari stated at a debate in Ontario that while climate change is real, it is not human-caused. "I believe climate change is real. I don't believe climate change is man-made and I certainly don't believe that the people of Carleton are at fault for climate change," Ghamari stated. These comments contradict the scientific consensus on climate change.[20]
Alleged Islamophobia
editIn November 2023, Ghamari came under controversy after the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC) and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) alerted the Ontario cabinet about her problematic social media postings.[21] Ghamari wrote on twitter that the Muslim prayer "Allahu Akbar" was a safety concern. She also said that hijab was a "symbol of the subjugation of women".[21] NCCM called her comments Islamophobic and asked Doug Ford to remove her from caucus, however, Doug Ford refused.[21]
Foreign policy
editIn November 2023, Ghamari also accused Ontario New Democratic Party MPP Joel Harden of being "a mouthpiece for the ... Islamic Regime, as well as accusing MPP Sarah Jama of being a "terrorist sympathizer".[21]
Ghamari is a strong supporter of Israel[21] and a prominent critic of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[22] She is also a supporter of Reza Pahlavi, the last Crown Prince of Iran, and is publicly critical against anyone who she believes support People's Mojahedin Organization (MEK).[23] Ghamari alleged on X that fellow Iran critic Kaveh Shahrooz is a supporter of MEK. Shahrooz, who briefly ran for the federal Conservative Party nomination in Richmond Hill, denied ever supporting MEK.[22]
Electoral record
edit| 2022 Ontario general election: Carleton | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Goldie Ghamari | 22,295 | 48.15 | −3.18 | $67,504 | |||
| Liberal | Tom Dawson | 12,452 | 26.89 | +7.45 | $28,703 | |||
| New Democratic | Kevin St. Denis | 7,256 | 15.67 | −6.83 | $14,674 | |||
| Green | Cody Zulinski | 2,537 | 5.48 | +1.53 | $5,201 | |||
| New Blue | Rob Stocki | 1,037 | 2.24 | $2,991 | ||||
| Ontario Party | Ethan Ferguson | 494 | 1.07 | +0.27 | $0 | |||
| None of the Above | Chris Mark Beauchamp | 235 | 0.51 | −0.31 | $0 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 46,306 | 99.66 | +0.69 | $133,325 | ||||
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 157 | 0.34 | -0.69 | |||||
| Turnout | 46,463 | 48.79 | -13.12 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 93,064 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −5.32 | ||||||
Source(s)
| ||||||||
| 2018 Ontario general election: Carleton | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Goldie Ghamari | 25,798 | 51.33 | |||||
| New Democratic | Courtney Potter | 11,308 | 22.50 | |||||
| Liberal | Theresa Qadri | 9,768 | 19.44 | |||||
| Green | Gordon Kubanek | 1,985 | 3.95 | |||||
| None of the Above | Evan Nightingale | 413 | 0.82 | |||||
| Ontario Party | Jay Tysick | 399 | 0.79 | |||||
| Libertarian | Jean-Serge Brisson | 386 | 0.77 | |||||
| Cultural Action | Kevin Harris | 110 | 0.22 | |||||
| Independent | Mark Dickson | 89 | 0.18 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 50,258 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | 64.05 | |||||||
| Eligible voters | 78,460 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative pickup new district. | ||||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[24] | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Search For Contributions". Elections Canada. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Ontario MPP 'not aware' of Tommy Robinson's history before speaking to far-right figure | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Rushowy, Kristin (June 28, 2024). "Doug Ford removes MPP Goldie Ghamari from caucus after she met with British far-right figure". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "Ford kicks Goldie Ghamari out of caucus over 'her judgment and honesty'". Toronto Sun. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Payne, Elizabeth (October 15, 2022). "'We want to be their voice': Hundreds march in Ottawa to demonstrate against Islamic Republic regime". Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ gghamari. "About". Goldie MPP | Carleton. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Willing, Jon (April 2, 2021). "Law society suspends Ghamari's licence for allegedly not co-operating with investigation". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Pfeffer, Amanda (April 6, 2021). "Law society suspends MPP Goldie Ghamari's licence over professional misconduct". CBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "PC MPP Goldie Ghamari's testimony before the Law Society of Ontario January 24, 2021". Politics Today. Queen's Park Today (Transcription). January 24, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Willing, Jon (April 2, 2021). "Law society suspends Ghamari's licence for allegedly not co-operating with investigation". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Nanji, Sabrina (January 14, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: PC MPP accused of blocking Law Society probe into allegations of professional misconduct". Politics Today. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Nanji, Sabrina (January 27, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Ghamari attempts to block release of cellphone records, citing PC Party confidentiality pact". Politics Today. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ David Reevely, "Ontario's PCs investigate candidate's physical-intimidation claim against MPP Randy Hillier". Ottawa Citizen, January 29, 2018.
- ^ "Goldie Ghamari elected in Carleton". CBC News. June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "PC Goldie Ghamari wins again in Carleton". CBC News. Ottawa, Ontario. June 2, 2022. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Staff, Stittsville Central (September 20, 2023). "'OSTA funding gap was already addressed by Ministry and school boards in summer months' - MPP Goldie Ghamari". Stittsville Central - Local News, Events and Business. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ McKay, Lesley (May 27, 2023). "Lifejackets save lives - MPP Goldie Ghamari honours family with introduction of Bill 93-Joshua's Law". Stittsville Central - Local News, Events and Business. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Rushowy, Kristin (June 28, 2024). "Doug Ford removes MPP Goldie Ghamari from caucus after she met with British far-right figure". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Lynch, Niam (June 25, 2024). "Tommy Robinson arrested over suspected immigration offence in Canada". Sky News. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Chianello, Joanne (May 24, 2018). "Carleton PC candidate says she doesn't believe climate change is man-made". CBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e DeClerq, Katherine (November 24, 2023). "Doug Ford will not remove MPP from caucus amid allegations of 'dangerous rhetoric' on social media". CTV News. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Burke, Ashley. "More than 100 Iranian-Canadians call for party probe of Conservative nomination race". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "Candidate pulls out of Tory Richmond Hill nomination race, citing shadow of foreign interference". The Hill Times. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 16, 2019.