Former N.S. NDP candidate for Eastern Passage district now running as an independent

Tammy Jakeman is seen in a file photo. (Source: YouCount.ca)

A former Nova Scotia NDP candidate is now running as an independent.

Tammy Jakeman was running as an NDP MLA for the Eastern Passage district when she came under fire for some of her social media posts. On Nov. 9, the provincial NDP said Jakeman was no longer the party’s candidate in the Eastern Passage district.

This came after the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs issued a news release the day before, which included pictures of two posts by an account bearing Jakeman’s name on social media.

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One, from November 2023, responds to a World Children's Day post from the Auschwitz Memorial by saying that children in Gaza will die because "Israel is obsessed with killing all Hamas, regardless of the human expenses." In another, also from 2023, the same Jakeman account retweets a post that said "Apartheid Israel is at its happiest when terrorizing Palestinians."

A news release from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs along with the Atlantic Jewish Council said the statements were "inflammatory" and "hurtful.”

“It is profoundly disappointing to see a political candidate making such inflammatory and hurtful accusations. Jakeman’s use of the term “genocide” in reference to Israel and her apparent dismissal of the Auschwitz Memorial’s message to honour Holocaust victims are both deeply offensive,” the release said.

“Accusing those who suffered through the Holocaust of perpetuating genocide not only shows a troubling lack of historical understanding but also serves to distort and diminish recognized acts of genocide, such as the Holocaust. Statements of this nature often have real-world impacts, contributing to a climate of fear and hostility experienced by Jewish community members.”

Both groups called on NDP Leader Claudia Chender to say why Jakeman was allowed to run for the party and to dissociate the party from Jakeman’s “damaging remarks.”

NDP spokesperson Alana Cahill said Jakeman posted an apology for the remarks.

Jakeman's exit from the party came after the candidate nomination period closed, which means there will be no NDP candidate to take her place in the Eastern Passage district.

Jakeman running as independent

Jakeman confirmed she is running as an independent candidate for the Eastern Passage district in a social media post Sunday morning.

The post starts with the words “I need to finish what I started.” She then offered an apology to everyone who cast ballots for her between Oct. 31 and Nov. 9.

“Those will become spoiled. I tell people to vote, they all matter. Those will matter on the 26th but in a different way,” Jakeman’s post says.

“That all said, everything from the afternoon of Nov 11th counts and if you haven’t voted yet, here is me saying I’m still out there and in a me, myself and all of you way!”

The Elections Nova Scotia website has been updated to show Jakeman registered as an independent candidate for that district.

With files from The Canadian Press

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