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 The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

in the

2019 Canadian federal election The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Members of the House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the maximum four-year term under a 2007 amendment to the ''Canada Elections Act'', ...

, and re-elected in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. He was unseated in the

2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Governor General Mary Simon issued the writs of election on March 23, 2025, afte ...

by Liberal candidate Aslam Rana.

Early and personal life

Green was born and raised in Hamilton,Riding profile: Hamilton Centre, a longtime NDP riding, has 7 candidates
CBC News the son of Raymond Green, a former ironworker, and Susan Scharf-Green, a retired school teacher. His maternal grandparents were Doris (Forward) and Nelson Scharf (who had a cheese factory), and his uncle was David Scharf. He received a BA degree in political science and legal studies from

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly Undergraduate education, undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some Postgraduate education, graduate programs at the master's level and one at the Doctorate, doctor ...

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 In Textile manufacturing, textile production, carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passi ...

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. 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."Tribunal rejects black councillor's claim Hamilton police stop was racial profiling,"
CBC. Green also filed a human rights complaint. After a five-day hearing in April 2018, Constable Pfeifer was found not guilty by a tribunal chaired by a fellow police officer. The hearing concluded that the officer's actions were reasonable under the circumstances and did not constitute misconduct under the ''Police Services Act''.

Career

Green said that the example set by

Lincoln Alexander Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (January 21, 1922 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who became the first Black Canadian to be a Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada, House o ...

, the first

Black Canadian Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

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 Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal (born January 2, 1979) is a Canadian former politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2017 to 2025 and as the Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament (MP) for Burnaby Sou ...

's stance against racial profiling. 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 A payday loan (also called a payday advance, salary loan, payroll loan, small dollar loan, short term, or cash advance loan) is a short-term unsecured loan, often characterized by high interest rates. These loans are typically designed to cover ...

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

In 43rd Canadian Parliament

Green was the first Black Canadian to represent Hamilton in Parliament since

. As an MP, Green was an outspoken opponent of

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

, and endorsed a nationwide ban on the use of

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

In 44th Canadian Parliament

Green was re-elected on 20 September 2021 in the

2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Writ of election, writs of election were issued by Governor General of ...

to a

hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...

, its 44th Canadian Parliament. In July 2021, Green endorsed a national

wealth tax A wealth tax (also called a capital tax or equity tax) is a tax on an entity's holdings of assets or an entity's net worth. This includes the total value of personal assets, including cash, bank deposits, real estate, assets in insurance and ...

. 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. During his time in Parliament, Green introduced Bill C-222, An Act to amend the ''Income Tax Act'' (travel expenses deduction for tradespersons), in 2021. The bill sought to allow tradespeople to deduct travel expenses related to temporary worksites.

Committees

Green had roles with four committees.

= Joint-Chair

= Green was 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 Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

over the constitution of the committee. It consisted of seven MPs and four senators.

= Member

= He was 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 was 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.

Political and social causes

Palestine

Green has criticized Canada's lack of action for Palestinian victims of what he called

ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, or religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making the society ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal such as deportation or population transfer, it ...

and

collective punishment Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group or whole community for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member or some members of that group or area, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends a ...

. In July 2020, Green mistakenly accused Israel of stopping a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

testing center in Hebron, and condemned Israel for it. When his error was pointed out, Green deleted his post. Green has spoken at pro-Palestine demonstrations in support of a ceasefire. In January 2024, Green was one of five Canadian MPs (two other NDP, and two Liberal) to travel to the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

and

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

to meet with Palestinian refugees, aid workers, Canadian consular officials and Jewish peace activists. The trip was sponsored by The Canadian Muslim Vote, a registered Canadian charity that engages Canadian Muslim communities in civic participation. Green shared video footage on his Instagram account of the Jenin Refugee Camp, calling attention to decimated infrastructure and an expanding graveyard. The trip followed Canada's vote in favour for a humanitarian

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

between

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

at the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

on December 12, 2023 ( UNGA Resolution ES-10/22).

Anti-poverty initiatives

Green advocates for community-led anti-poverty initiatives. Green has opposed predatory payday lenders, referring to them as promoting "economic violence". Green has also criticized what he called the federal government's slow reaction to protect Canadians amidst the

cost-of-living crisis A cost-of-living crisis refers to a socioeconomic situation or period of high inflation where nominal wages have stagnated while there is a sharp increase in the cost of basic goods, such as food, housing, and energy. As a result, living standar ...

. 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"

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Matthew Living people New Democratic Party MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Hamilton, Ontario city councillors Black Canadian politicians 1980 births Canadian socialists 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada