Statement from Ontario NDP regarding Paul Miller

TORONTO — The following statement is attributable to Lucy Watson, provincial director of the Ontario NDP:

“After a pattern of troubling behavior that indicated that Paul Miller may harbour Islamophobic, homophobic and racist views, our party’s vetting process showed that Mr. Miller was a member of the Facebook group called Worldwide Coalition Against Islam.

It’s well established that in 2018, a complaint from a staff member was made regarding Paul Miller to the Human Rights Tribunal. While the matter was satisfactorily resolved according to all parties, those allegations included racist and homophobic remarks.

Our party’s express expectation was that his behaviour needed to change. For a period of time it did. There were no public or private complaints of homophobic, racist or Islamophobic behaviour.

However, the revelations made by an investigation surrounding the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board continued the old pattern. While Mr. Miller made no direct public statements, his behaviour and attitude were noted in the independent investigation.

This pattern of behaviour crossed any reasonable line when Mr. Miller’s vet was recently finalized. His membership in the Facebook group called Worldwide Coalition Against Islam was discovered.

Any other candidate and any other caucus member — in any context and attempting to run for any reasonable party — would be disqualified for ever having been a member of an Islamophobic, racist group.

In our party, any New Democrat can run for the nomination in any riding, regardless of whether it’s an incumbent seat or not.”