Sarah Jama at the opening of her Hamilton Centre constituency office, Nov. 14, 2023. Jama opened the office as an Independent MPP after the Ontario NDP kicked her out of caucus for posting a statement in support of Palestinians.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Censure might occasionally be necessary to preserve the integrity of a parliament, but using it to punish members for their personal views threatens the foundations of democracy.
NDP MPP, Sarah Jama, a Black woman, was censured by the Ontario Legislature for her comments which called on Canada to refrain from military intervention in the Middle East.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power)
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, first established a set of political decorum rules in legislatures to help establish stability during the country’s early years.
The House of Representatives has censured President Donald Trump for making racist tweets.
AAP/EPA/Oliver Contreras/pool
With the House of Representatives taking the unusual approach of censuring a sitting president, attention will now turn to next week’s testimony by Robert Mueller.