• Source: Joel Harden

Joel Davison Harden (born January 14, 1972) is a Canadian politician who has represented Ottawa Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2018. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP), Harden is the party's critic for transit and active transportation. He is also a candidate for the federal NDP nomination in the riding of Ottawa Centre in the 2025 Canadian federal election.




Background






= Early life and education

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Harden grew up in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. He holds an undergraduate degree in sociology and political studies from Queen's University. He later attended York University, where he earned a master's degree in 1997 and a doctorate in political science in 2006.




= Career

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Harden was a researcher at the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) students organization. He was an instructor at the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University and teaching assistant professor at Brock University and has also taught at Nipissing University and McMaster University.
From 1998 to 2000, he was the chairman of the Ontario section of the CFS. From 2005 to 2010, he was senior researcher at the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and was director of the labour education department at the CLC from 2010 to 2012.




Political career


Harden was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election.
In August 2018, Harden was appointed Official Opposition Critic for Accessibility & Persons with Disabilities; Pensions; Seniors' Affairs. Harden's parliamentary roles include sitting on the Standing Committee on Social Policy.
He is a self-described democratic socialist. Harden supports the BDS movement.




= 2019 - support for PFLP member

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In 2019, Harden called on the Canadian federal government to demand that Israel immediately release Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Canada and other countries had designated as a terrorist organization. Jarrar was also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and had been arrested by Israeli security forces on suspicion of "involvement in terror activity." Harden tweeted that he was “Saddened, sickened and disgusted by the continued abuse of Khalida Jarrar, my parliamentary colleague, by Israeli occupation forces.”




= 2022 - comments on Jews and Israel

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In November 2022, Harden was criticized for his statements in an interview related to Israel and Palestine. Among other things, Harden said that the: "single greatest origin of violence in the Middle East is unquestionably the state of Israel." He ultimately issued a brief written apology for perpetuating anti-Semitic tropes. In the interview, Harden also took a pro-Palestinian position and said: "I think it's important to remain steadfast against all supremacist ideologies, all forms of prejudice and racism. When I'm at Palestinian solidarity demonstrations, if I hear people making antisemitic remarks, I take a point of pulling that person aside and saying "you're not helping." The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs posted on social media that Harden's videos: "can only be called antisemitism and misinformation about Israel." Peter Tabuns, the interim leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party and the leader of the Opposition, said "I welcome his commitment to further education about antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in our party."




= 2024 - noise law infraction controversy

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In January 2024, after Harden and eight others were fined for—in contravention of Ottawa noise laws—using a megaphone at a pro-Palestine protest. The law says: "no person shall operate ... any sound reproduction device on any ... public place." Canadian politician Lisa MacLeod responded to him, writing: "You’re a professional protestor who doesn’t support the rights of protestors who don’t share your views. You associate with antisemites. You pick and choose who has human rights. And clearly you decide who gets to protest loudly downtown and who doesn’t." For its part, Ottawa By-law Services director Roger Chapman said: It’s important to note that enforcement during demonstrations is a result of escalated actions by the participants, which may pose nuisance and public safety issues. As the activities of protestors escalated and became more frequent, including the defacement of property, the use of sound reproduction devices, smoke bombs, fireworks, and threats towards our officers, BLRS took action to address these concerns. Initially, warnings were issued to individuals regarding the operation of these sound production devices ... when the activity persisted, fines of $490 were issued.




= Federal politics

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Harden filed papers in March 2024 to seek the federal NDP's nomination to run as the party's candidate in Ottawa Centre in the next federal election expected in 2025.




Electoral record






References






External links


Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history

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