Matthew Green (Canadian politician) explained

Matthew Green
Riding:Hamilton Centre
Parliament:Canadian
Term Start:October 21, 2019
Predecessor:David Christopherson
Office1:Hamilton, Ontario City Councillor
Term Start1:December 1, 2014
Term End1:December 1, 2018
Constituency1:Ward 3 (Hamilton Centre)
Predecessor1:Bob Morrow
Successor1:Nrinder Nann
Birth Date:September 10, 1980
Birth Place:Hamilton, Ontario
Party:New Democratic Party
Residence:Hamilton, Ontario[1]

Matthew Green (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.

Early and personal life

Green was born and raised in Hamilton,[4] the son of Raymond Green, a former ironworker, and Susan Scharf-Green, a retired school teacher.[5] His maternal grandparents were Doris (Forward) and Nelson Scharf (who had a cheese factory), and his uncle was David Scharf.[6] [7] He received a BA degree in political science and legal studies from Acadia University.

Controversy

In 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. 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.[8] 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. 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.[10]

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] [11]

Career

Green 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.[12]

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.[13] [12] [14] In 2018, he became the executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), a non-profit organization that promotes racial equality.[15] Ideologically, Green identifies as a "Stanley Knowles New Democrat".

In 43rd Canadian Parliament

Green is the first Black Canadian to represent Hamilton in Parliament since Lincoln Alexander.[12] As an MP, Green has been an outspoken opponent of police brutality, and endorsed a nationwide ban on the use of tear gas.[16]

In 44th Canadian Parliament

Green was re-elected on 20 September 2021 in the 2021 Canadian federal election to a hung parliament,[17] its 44th Canadian Parliament.

In July 2021, Green endorsed a national wealth tax.[18] 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.[19] [20] [21]

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.[22]

Committees

Green has roles with four committees.[23]

Joint-Chair

Green 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.

Member

He 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.

NDP Critic roles

Green 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.[24] [25]

Political and social causes

Palestine

Green has criticized Canada's lack of action for Palestinian victims of what he called ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.[26]

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.[27] [28]

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.[29] [30] [31] [32] Afterward, he released a statement on November 14, 2023.[33] 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." 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.[34] 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."[31]

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.[35] [36] The trip was sponsored by a registered Muslim non-profit charitable organization that self-identifies as non-partisan, "Canadian Muslim Vote". Green shared video footage on his Instagram account of the Jenin Refugee Camp, calling attention to decimated infrastructure and an expanding graveyard.[37] 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).[38]

Anti-poverty initiatives

Green advocates for community-led anti-poverty initiatives. Green has opposed predatory payday lenders, referring to them as promoting "economic violence".[39] Green has also criticized what he called the federal government's slow reaction to protect Canadians amidst the cost-of-living crisis.[40] [41] Affordable housing was also a key platform point on his most recent campaign.

Electoral record

|-!rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Candidate!colspan="3"|Popular vote!rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Expenditures|-! Votes! %! ±%|-| style="background-color:#7bbd55;" || style="text-align:left;" | Matthew Green| style="text-align:right;" |2,852| style="text-align:right;" |40.72%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" |$31,380.20|-| style="background-color:#FF0000;" || style="text-align:left;" | Ralph Agostino| style="text-align:right;" |1,229| style="text-align:right;" |17.55%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" |$22,900.91|-| style="background-color:#de292b;" || style="text-align:left;" | Drina Omazic| style="text-align:right;" |825| style="text-align:right;" |11.78%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" |$27,000.76|-| style="background-color:#ef8b42;" || style="text-align:left;" | Mark DiMillo| style="text-align:right;" |525| style="text-align:right;" |7.50%| style="text-align:right;" |−2.63%| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Sean Gibson| style="text-align:right;" |361| style="text-align:right;" |5.15%| style="text-align:right;" |−8.53%| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#f73e1e;" || style="text-align:left;" | Tim Simmons| style="text-align:right;" |334| style="text-align:right;" |4.77%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | $15,087.14|-| style="background-color:#062955;" || style="text-align:left;" | Bob Assadourian| style="text-align:right;" |330| style="text-align:right;" |4.71%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | $26,412.29|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Brian Kelly| style="text-align:right;" |172| style="text-align:right;" |2.46%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | $5,670.73|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Maria Anastasiou| style="text-align:right;" |93| style="text-align:right;" |1.33%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Byron Wayne Millette| style="text-align:right;" |73| style="text-align:right;" |1.04%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Eva John| style="text-align:right;" |55| style="text-align:right;" |0.79%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Carlos Pinho| style="text-align:right;" |51| style="text-align:right;" |0.73%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Victor Mejia| style="text-align:right;" |42| style="text-align:right;" |0.60%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Bernie Szajkowski| style="text-align:right;" |41| style="text-align:right;" |0.59%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | $0|-| style="background-color:#ffffff;" || style="text-align:left;" | Jol Hess| style="text-align:right;" |21| style="text-align:right;" |0.30%| style="text-align:right;" | –| style="text-align:right;" | n/a1|-| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" |Total votes| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" |7,113| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" |29.59%| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" |−1.41| style="text-align:right;" ||-| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" |Registered voters| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" |24,035| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" |100%| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" || style="text-align:right;" ||-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="6" |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.|-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" |Sources: City of Hamilton, "Nominated Candidates" |}

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Official Voting Results. Elections Canada. January 23, 2021.
  2. Web site: CBC News. Matthew Green to run for NDP in Hamilton Centre, aims to replace MP David Christopherson. Craggs. Samantha. July 17, 2018. October 22, 2019.
  3. MatthewGreenNDP. 1303539924541603840 . 8 September 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).
  4. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-centre-1.6174218 Riding profile: Hamilton Centre, a longtime NDP riding, has 7 candidates
  5. https://www.ronfanfair.com/home/2019/10/30/2zg6ooi9lvwa9wb1e720z1nrfycj5t Hamilton's first Black City Councillor Matthew Green is now a Member of Parliament
  6. https://byersfuneralhomeinc.ca/obituary/david-nelson-scharf/?print=print "David Scharf,"
  7. https://openparliament.ca/bills/43-1/C-206/?page=5 "Bill C-206 (Historical),"
  8. Molly Hayes (April 26, 2018). "Hamilton police officer found not guilty in carding case involving black politician," The Globe and Mail.
  9. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/matthew-green-andrew-pfeifer-1.4636773 "Tribunal rejects black councillor's claim Hamilton police stop was racial profiling,"
  10. Web site: Was officer OK to question Matthew Green? Lawyers clash over role of race in police stop. CBC News. November 16, 2017. Kelly Bennett. December 8, 2023.
  11. Web site: Tribunal rejects black councillor's claim Hamilton police stop was racial profiling. CBC News. Samantha Craggs. 2018-04-26. 2023-12-08.
  12. Web site: Hamilton's first Black City Councillor Matthew Green is now a Member of Parliament. 2021-10-09. Ron Fanfair. en-US.
  13. News: Green keeps Hamilton's urban heartland NDP orange. Hamilton Spectator. October 22, 2019. October 22, 2019.
  14. Web site: What School Did You Go To?. 2018. Policy Alternatives.
  15. Web site: Craggs. Samantha. September 26, 2018. Matthew Green becomes new executive director for civic inclusion centre. Canadian Broadcasting Company.
  16. Web site: Lim . Jolson . 2020-06-11. NDP MP Green sponsors petition calling for nationwide ban on use of tear gas. 2021-10-09. iPolitics. en-US.
  17. News: Tasker. John Paul. 20 September 2021. Canadians have re-elected a Liberal minority government. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 September 2021.
  18. Web site: Two MPs Reflect on Sixty Years of Canada's New Democratic Party. 2021-10-11. jacobinmag.com. en-US.
  19. News: Committees DEDC Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency . 22 May 2022 . Parliament of Canada.
  20. News: Wherry . Aaron . The committee reviewing Trudeau's use of the Emergencies Act faces a daunting task . CBC . 6 March 2022.
  21. News: Boutilier . Alex . Committee examining Liberals' emergency powers debates scope of inquiry . Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc . 24 March 2022.
  22. https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/C-222 "C-222, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (travel expenses deduction for tradespersons),"
  23. Web site: Matthew Green - Member of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada . 2024-01-26 . ourcommons.ca.
  24. Web site: Meet Matthew . 2024-01-26 . MP Matthew Green . en.
  25. Web site: Your NDP Team . 2024-01-26 . Canada's NDP . en.
  26. Web site: Matthew Green, "Foreign Affairs" on Nov. 9, 2023 . 2024-01-26 . openparliament.ca.
  27. Jonathan Mackenzie (October 22, 2020). "Canadian MP Duped By Anti-Israel Email Campaign, Hasn’t Apologized," thej.ca.
  28. Aaron Bandler (July 23, 2020). "Israeli Embassy, Canadian Jewish Groups Rebuke MP’s ‘False Claim’ That Israel Demolished Palestinian COVID-19 Center," Jewish Journal.
  29. https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-canadian-politician-fired-gets-death-threat-after-snark-about-pre-zionist-palestine/ "Jewish Canadian politician fired, gets death threat after snark about pre-Zionist Palestine,"
  30. Tristin Hopper (December 1, 2023). "The pro-terror hate groups organizing almost all of Canada’s 'ceasefire now' rallies," National Post.
  31. Kevin Geenen (December 21, 2023). "Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green latest to attend controversial Toronto anti-Israel rally," The Hamilton Independent.
  32. Web site: Instagram . 2024-01-26 . instagram.
  33. Web site: Matthew Green's statement on comments made by a speaker at the ceasefire rally . 2024-01-26 . Canada's NDP . en.
  34. Kevin Geenen (December 1, 2023). "Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green latest to attend controversial Toronto anti-Israel rally," The Hamilton Independent.
  35. Web site: 2024-01-20 . A glimpse of Palestinian life under occupation strengthens resolve of some MPs to push for Gaza ceasefire . 2024-01-26 . CTVNews . en.
  36. Web site: Boudjikanian . Raffy . January 14, 2024 . Liberal, NDP MPs to travel to West Bank to connect with Palestinians . January 25, 2024 . CBC News.
  37. Web site: @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.. January 25, 2024 . Instagram.
  38. Web site: 2023-12-12 . UN General Assembly votes by large majority for immediate humanitarian ceasefire during emergency session . 2024-01-26 . UN News . en.
  39. Web site: Noseworthy . Kelly . February 17, 2016 . Hamilton ready to lead the way regulating payday loan business . January 25, 2024 . CBC News.
  40. Web site: December 4, 2023 . Debates (Hansard) No. 261 - December 4, 2023 (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada . January 25, 2024 . www.ourcommons.ca . en.
  41. Web site: Matthew Green, "Grocery Industry" on Dec. 4th, 2023 . 2024-01-26 . openparliament.ca.

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