Matthew Green MP (born September 10, 1980)[2][3] is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Hamilton Centre in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election, and re-elected in 2021.
Matthew Green | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre | |
| Assumed office October 21, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | David Christopherson |
| Hamilton, Ontario City Councillor | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – December 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Morrow |
| Succeeded by | Nrinder Nann |
| Constituency | Ward 3 (Hamilton Centre) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 10, 1980 Hamilton, Ontario |
| Political party | New Democratic Party |
| Residence | Hamilton, Ontario[1] |
Early and personal life
editGreen was born and raised in Hamilton,[4] the son of Raymond Green, a former ironworker, and Susan Scharf-Green, a retired school teacher.[5][6] His maternal grandparents were Doris (Forward) and Nelson Scharf (who had a cheese factory), and his uncle was David Scharf.[7][8] He received a BA degree in political science and legal studies from Acadia University.[5]
Controversy
editIn April 2016, Green was standing under a bridge, kitty corner from a bus stop, when he was questioned for one minute by Constable Andrew Pfeifer of the Hamilton Police Service, who was in his car.[9] Green, a vocal anti-carding advocate, filed a complaint with the Hamilton Police Service, saying he was clearly just on his phone and waiting for a bus, and that he felt racially profiled and "psychologically detained" by Pfeifer's questioning.[9][10] Pfeifer said it was a cold and windy day, and that Green was standing in an unusual spot, in an area with three lodging homes for people with mental health issues, so the constable wanted to check that Green was OK.[9] As a result of the complaint, the officer was charged with discreditable conduct under the Ontario Police Services Act.[9] Green also filed a human rights complaint.[11]
After a five-day hearing the officer was found not guilty by a tribunal in April 2018. The hearing officer stated: "In my view, Const. Pfeifer's … concerns were reasonable and not the result of hyper sensitivity in regards to Mr. Green," and "I lack the necessary confidence in Mr. Green's credibility to accept his evidence that he was psychologically detained."[9][12]
Career
editGreen said that the example set by Lincoln Alexander, the first Black Canadian MP and a former Hamilton politician, helped inspire him to get into politics. Green joined the NDP in 2017 after being inspired by Jagmeet Singh's stance against racial profiling.[13]
Elected as the first Black Canadian to serve on the Hamilton City Council, where he represented inner-city Ward 3 from 2014 to 2018, he lobbied for the city to become the first in Ontario to license and regulate payday lending.[14][13] [15] In 2018, he became the executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), a non-profit organization that promotes racial equality.[16] Ideologically, Green identifies as a "Stanley Knowles New Democrat".[17]
In 43rd Canadian Parliament
editGreen is the first Black Canadian to represent Hamilton in Parliament since Lincoln Alexander.[13] As an MP, Green has been an outspoken opponent of police brutality, and endorsed a nationwide ban on the use of tear gas.[18]
In 44th Canadian Parliament
editGreen was re-elected on 20 September 2021 in the 2021 Canadian federal election to a hung parliament,[19] its 44th Canadian Parliament.
In July 2021, Green endorsed a national wealth tax.[17] In March 2022, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh nominated Green to serve on the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency which had the mission to investigate the Freedom Convoy.[20][21][22]
Through August 2024, in his nearly five years in the parliament Green had sponsored one bill (C-222, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (travel expenses deduction for tradespersons)), as to which there had been no activity since he introduced it in 2021.[23]
Committees
editGreen has roles with four committees.[24]
Joint-Chair
editGreen is a member and joint chair of DECD: Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency, and said that committee members "have a 'responsibility' to work together" in light of the disagreement of the Conservative Official Opposition over the constitution of the committee. It consisted of seven MPs and four senators. On 6 March 2022 Green was "interested in looking at the actions of police (or the lack of them), the role played by 'dark money' raised through" the GoFundMe and GiveSendGo crowdfunding platforms,[21] even though the latter issue had been thoroughly debunked three days earlier when the FINA committee interviewed two executives from GoFundMe who testified that 86 per cent of the donors to the original GoFundMe campaign were Canadian, and 88 per cent of the donated funds to the original campaign were from Canadians.[25]
Member
editHe is also a member of PROC: Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, ETHI: Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, and SETH: Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.[citation needed]
NDP Critic roles
editGreen is the NDP Critic of Ethics, and the Deputy Critic for Employment and Workforce Development, Deputy Critic for Labour, and Deputy Critic for Public Services and Procurement.[5][26]
Political and social causes
editPalestine
editGreen has criticized Canada's lack of action for Palestinian victims of what he called ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.[27]
In July 2020, Green mistakenly accused Israel of stopping a Covid testing center in Hebron, and condemned Israel for it. When his error was pointed out, Green deleted his post.[28][29]
Green spoke at an anti-Israel pro-Palestine demonstration hosted by Toronto4Palestine, a group that has chanted support for violent revolution and which handed out candy in celebration of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, in favour of a ceasefire regarding the Israel–Hamas war.[30][31][32][33] Afterward, he released a statement on November 14, 2023.[34] Green said that he was against antisemitism, as well as "the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate," and condemned Holocaust denialism and "incitement of hatred towards any group including the Jewish community."[34] The Israeli government has argued that a ceasefire would simply allow Hamas to regroup and to launch additional attacks on Israel, and noted that Hamas has broken ceasefire agreements multiple times in the past.[35] B'nai Brith Canada denounced Green’s comments at the rally, saying: “We are in the midst of a disturbing rise in antisemitism. The Jewish community is on edge. The bare minimum expected from our elected officials is to refrain from inflaming tensions. Green is doing the opposite."[32]
In January 2024, Green was one of five Canadian MPs (two other NDP, and two Liberal) to travel to the West Bank and Jordan to meet with Palestinian refugees and aligned progressive Israeli groups.[36][37] The trip was sponsored by a registered Muslim non-profit charitable organization that self-identifies as non-partisan, "Canadian Muslim Vote".[37][36] Green shared video footage on his Instagram account of the Jenin Refugee Camp, calling attention to decimated infrastructure and an expanding graveyard.[38] The trip followed Canada's vote in favour for a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the United Nations General Assembly on December 12, 2023 (UNGA Resolution ES-10/22).[39]
Anti-poverty initiatives
editGreen advocates for community-led anti-poverty initiatives.[4][5] Green has opposed predatory payday lenders, referring to them as promoting "economic violence".[40] Green has also criticized what he called the federal government's slow reaction to protect Canadians amidst the cost-of-living crisis.[41][42] Affordable housing was also a key platform point on his most recent campaign.[4]
Electoral record
edit| 2021 Canadian federal election: Hamilton Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Matthew Green | 20,105 | 48.70 | +2.54 | $59,357.46 | |||
| Liberal | Margaret Bennett | 10,941 | 26.50 | -2.17 | $33,346.62 | |||
| Conservative | Fabian Grenning | 6,209 | 15.04 | +0.67 | none listed | |||
| People's | Kevin Barber | 2,637 | 6.39 | +4.50 | $0.00 | |||
| Green | Avra Caroline Weinstein | 1,105 | 2.68 | -4.96 | $3,627.12 | |||
| Communist | Nigel Cheriyan | 184 | 0.45 | – | $0.00 | |||
| Independent | Nathalie Xian Yi Yan | 99 | 0.24 | +0.05 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 41,280 | 99.16 | – | $120,288.26 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 351 | 0.84 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 41,631 | 55.72 | -3.36 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 74,721 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +2.35 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[43][44] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Hamilton Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Matthew Green | 20,368 | 46.16 | +0.60 | $71,015.33 | |||
| Liberal | Jasper Kujavsky | 12,651 | 28.67 | -4.72 | $79,469.65 | |||
| Conservative | Monica Ciriello | 6,341 | 14.37 | -0.28 | $13,186.90 | |||
| Green | Jason Lopez | 3,370 | 7.64 | +3.31 | none listed | |||
| People's | Melina Mamone | 833 | 1.89 | – | none listed | |||
| Christian Heritage | Gary Duyzer | 182 | 0.41 | – | none listed | |||
| Independent | Tony Lemma | 158 | 0.36 | – | $2,716.24 | |||
| Independent | Edward Graydon | 134 | 0.30 | – | none listed | |||
| Independent | Nathalie Xian Yi Yan | 85 | 0.19 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 44,122 | 99.09 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 405 | 0.91 | +0.26 | |||||
| Turnout | 44,527 | 59.08 | -0.34 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 75,371 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +2.66 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[45][46] | ||||||||
| Candidate | Popular vote | Expenditures | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±% | ||||||||||
| Matthew Green | 2,852 | 40.72% | – | $31,380.20 | ||||||||
| Ralph Agostino | 1,229 | 17.55% | – | $22,900.91 | ||||||||
| Drina Omazic | 825 | 11.78% | – | $27,000.76 | ||||||||
| Mark DiMillo | 525 | 7.50% | −2.63% | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Sean Gibson | 361 | 5.15% | −8.53% | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Tim Simmons | 334 | 4.77% | – | $15,087.14 | ||||||||
| Bob Assadourian | 330 | 4.71% | – | $26,412.29 | ||||||||
| Brian Kelly | 172 | 2.46% | – | $5,670.73 | ||||||||
| Maria Anastasiou | 93 | 1.33% | – | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Byron Wayne Millette | 73 | 1.04% | – | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Eva John | 55 | 0.79% | – | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Carlos Pinho | 51 | 0.73% | – | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Victor Mejia | 42 | 0.60% | – | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Bernie Szajkowski | 41 | 0.59% | – | $0 | ||||||||
| Jol Hess | 21 | 0.30% | – | n/a1 | ||||||||
| Total votes | 7,113 | 29.59% | −1.41 | |||||||||
| Registered voters | 24,035 | 100% | ||||||||||
| 1 These candidates did not submit official Financial Statements and are, therefore, ineligible to run in the 2018 Municipal election Note: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.) and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. | ||||||||||||
| Sources: City of Hamilton, "Nominated Candidates" Archived 2010-08-20 at the Wayback Machine | ||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ Craggs, Samantha (July 17, 2018). "Matthew Green to run for NDP in Hamilton Centre, aims to replace MP David Christopherson". CBC News. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ @MatthewGreenNDP (September 8, 2020). "It was *almost* a year to the day that I hosted @theJagmeetSingh for my @HamCentreNDP campaign office launch on Sept. 10th 2019 (my birthday)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Riding profile: Hamilton Centre, a longtime NDP riding, has 7 candidates CBC News
- ^ a b c d "Meet Matthew". MP Matthew Green. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Hamilton's first Black City Councillor Matthew Green is now a Member of Parliament Ron Fanfair
- ^ "David Scharf," Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ "Bill C-206 (Historical)," openparliament.ca.
- ^ a b c d e "Tribunal rejects black councillor's claim Hamilton police stop was racial profiling," CBC.
- ^ Molly Hayes (April 26, 2018). "Hamilton police officer found not guilty in carding case involving black politician," The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Kelly Bennett (November 16, 2017). "Was officer OK to question Matthew Green? Lawyers clash over role of race in police stop". CBC News. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ Samantha Craggs (April 26, 2018). "Tribunal rejects black councillor's claim Hamilton police stop was racial profiling". CBC News. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Hamilton's first Black City Councillor Matthew Green is now a Member of Parliament". Ron Fanfair. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ "Green keeps Hamilton's urban heartland NDP orange". Hamilton Spectator. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ "What School Did You Go To?" (PDF). Policy Alternatives. 2018.
- ^ Craggs, Samantha (September 26, 2018). "Matthew Green becomes new executive director for civic inclusion centre". Canadian Broadcasting Company.
- ^ a b "Two MPs Reflect on Sixty Years of Canada's New Democratic Party". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Lim, Jolson (June 11, 2020). "NDP MP Green sponsors petition calling for nationwide ban on use of tear gas". iPolitics. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ Tasker, John Paul (September 20, 2021). "Canadians have re-elected a Liberal minority government". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "Committees DEDC Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Wherry, Aaron (March 6, 2022). "The committee reviewing Trudeau's use of the Emergencies Act faces a daunting task". CBC.
- ^ Boutilier, Alex (March 24, 2022). "Committee examining Liberals' emergency powers debates scope of inquiry". Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
- ^ "C-222 , An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (travel expenses deduction for tradespersons)," 44th Parliament, 1st session Monday, November 22, 2021, to present.
- ^ "Matthew Green - Member of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada". ourcommons.ca. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Turnbull, Sarah (March 3, 2022). "GoFundMe head testifies over Freedom Convoy fundraising, says most donors were Canadian". CTVNews. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Your NDP Team". Canada's NDP. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Matthew Green, "Foreign Affairs" on Nov. 9, 2023". openparliament.ca. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Jonathan Mackenzie (October 22, 2020). "Canadian MP Duped By Anti-Israel Email Campaign, Hasn’t Apologized," thej.ca.
- ^ Aaron Bandler (July 23, 2020). "Israeli Embassy, Canadian Jewish Groups Rebuke MP’s ‘False Claim’ That Israel Demolished Palestinian COVID-19 Center," Jewish Journal.
- ^ "Jewish Canadian politician fired, gets death threat after snark about pre-Zionist Palestine," The Times of Israel.
- ^ Tristin Hopper (December 1, 2023). "The pro-terror hate groups organizing almost all of Canada’s 'ceasefire now' rallies," National Post.
- ^ a b Kevin Geenen (December 21, 2023). "Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green latest to attend controversial Toronto anti-Israel rally," The Hamilton Independent.
- ^ "Instagram". instagram. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Matthew Green's statement on comments made by a speaker at the ceasefire rally". Canada's NDP. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Kevin Geenen (December 1, 2023). "Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green latest to attend controversial Toronto anti-Israel rally," The Hamilton Independent.
- ^ a b "A glimpse of Palestinian life under occupation strengthens resolve of some MPs to push for Gaza ceasefire". CTVNews. January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Boudjikanian, Raffy (January 14, 2024). "Liberal, NDP MPs to travel to West Bank to connect with Palestinians". CBC News. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ @mathewgreenndp (January 21, 2024). "This was one of my most difficult places to visit with @idrfcanada since I started with IDRF. Jenin Refugee Camp, situated in the West Bank and established in 1953, stands as one of the largest Palestinian refugee camps. The distruction, devastation and the amount of people who are suffering from the occupation and daily raids is just unfathomable". Instagram. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "UN General Assembly votes by large majority for immediate humanitarian ceasefire during emergency session". UN News. December 12, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Noseworthy, Kelly (February 17, 2016). "Hamilton ready to lead the way regulating payday loan business". CBC News. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Debates (Hansard) No. 261 - December 4, 2023 (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. December 4, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Matthew Green, "Grocery Industry" on Dec. 4th, 2023". openparliament.ca. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved August 14, 2021.