Matthew Green (Canadian politician)

Matthew Green (born September 10, 1980) 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 life

Green was born and raised in Hamilton, the son of Raymond Green, a former ironworker, and Susan Scharf-Green, a retired school teacher. He received a BA degree in political science and legal studies from Acadia University.

Career

First elected to the Hamilton City Council in 2014, he led the way for the city to become the first in Ontario to license and regulate payday lending. In 2018, he became the executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), a non-profit organization that promotes racial equality.

Green has stated 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.

Prior to his election to the House of Commons, he was the first Black Canadian to serve on the Hamilton City Council, where he represented Ward 3 from 2014 to 2018. Ideologically, Green identifies as a "Stanley Knowles New Democrat".

In 43rd Canadian Parliament

One of Green's claims to fame is that he is the first Black Canadian to represent Hamilton in Parliament since Lincoln Alexander.

As an MP, Green has been an outspoken opponent of police brutality, and has endorsed a nationwide ban on the use of tear gas.

In 44th Canadian Parliament

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

In a July 2021 interview with American socialist magazine Jacobin, given jointly with his NDP colleague Leah Gazan, Green endorsed a national wealth tax.

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.

Committees

As the MP for Hamilton Centre, Matthew Green has roles with several committees.

Joint-Chair

DECD: Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency.

Early in the life of the DECD committee, Green 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 co-chair 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, 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.

Member

PROC: Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

DEDC: Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency

ETHI: Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

SETH: Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

NDP Critic Roles

Matthew 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.

Controversy

In April 2016, Green was involved in an incident in which he was questioned on the street by Constable Andrew Pfeifer of the Hamilton Police Service. Green filed a complaint with the Hamilton Police Service and, as a result, the officer was charged with discreditable conduct after an independent investigation by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director. Green also filed a human rights complaint. The officer was later found not guilty by a tribunal, with the hearing officer stating, "I lack the necessary confidence in Mr. Green's credibility to accept his evidence".

Political and Social Causes

Palestine

Green has openly criticized Canada's lack of action for Palestinian victims of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.

Green released a statement on November 14, 2023 following his attendance at a pro-Palestine demonstration hosted by justice-oriented community group Toronto4Palestine (@toronto4palestine), affirming his position in favour of a ceasefire regarding the Israeli-Hamas war. Green further emphasized that he is against Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Semitism, and white supremacy, and condemned Holocaust Denialism and incitement of violence against Jewish people.

In January 2024, Green was one of five Canadian MPs to travel to the West Bank and Jordan to meet with Palestinian refugees and aligned Israeli groups. The trip was sponsored by a registered non-partisan non-profit charity, Canadian Muslim Vote. Green shared video footage on his Instagram profile of the Jenin Refugee Camp, calling attention to the decimated infrastructure and the expanding graveyard. This week-long 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).

Anti-Poverty Initiatives

Green advocates for community-led anti-poverty initiatives. As former Hamilton city Councillor and current MP, Green has opposed predatory payday lenders, referring to them as promoting "economic violence". Green has also criticized the federal government's slow reaction to protect Canadians amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Affordable housing was also a key platform point on his most recent campaign.

Electoral record

References

External links

• Matthew Green (Canadian politician) – Parliament of Canada biography