Speaker of the House of Commons Ted Arnott called on MP Sara Jama to leave the Ontario Legislature on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned in Queen's Park.

However, Jama refused to leave the chamber, and Arnott told the independent member for Hamilton Center during question period, "Sara Jama, you’ve been summoned, you must leave the room."

Arnott announced last week a ban on the headscarf typically worn by Arabs and Muslims which has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. The Speaker stated that "extensive research" led him to classify the garment as a political statement.

Arnott said, "As a result of the member’s designation, for the rest of the day, they are not entitled to vote on matters before the assembly, to attend and participate in any committee proceedings, to use the media studio and tabled notices, nor to ask and submit written questions and petitions."

Jama remained in the chamber throughout the question period. After the incident, Arnott stated that there was "no way" to remove Jama except through physical force.

He told reporters, "I wasn’t prepared to do that."

All four leaders of Ontario’s political parties, including Premier Doug Ford, have called for the ban to be lifted. Meanwhile, attempts by NDP leader Marit Stiles to allow members to wear the garment through unanimous consent were unsuccessful.

In response to a question about the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday, Ford said: "The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly runs it his way, and I know that this was his choice."

After the call to expel Jama, Stiles described the move as "outrageous."

Stiles said, "Today, we are witnessing the expulsion of a member for wearing a symbol of her culture and community. I was appalled," adding that she believes the Premier should "force" his party caucus to grant unanimous consent to allow cultural dress and other forms of clothing in the legislature.

While House Leader Paul Calandra objected to Stiles' use of the word "force," he said that his party would continue to adhere to the rules of the legislature "until those rules change."

Speaking to reporters at Queen's Park, Jama accused the Progressive Conservatives of making the wearing of the keffiyeh in the legislature a political issue.

"This is a cultural garment; every party leader has talked about how this ban should not exist. The Premier has spoken about the necessity of this ban not existing, yet his members, the Conservatives, are the ones who continuously say 'no' to lifting this ban."

Earlier this week, after days of reiterating the ban, Jama wore the keffiyeh in the legislature without incident.

One of the members who voted against the motion - and stated she would continue to do so - is the independent Robin Martin.

She said in a statement on Tuesday: "The rules of the legislature are clear that props and attire that make a political statement cannot be worn in the chamber."

"These rules exist to maintain order in our democratic institutions and to ensure that we use our words only for discussion and persuasion, I believe these rules are important for the proper functioning of the legislative body and must be adhered to."

In October of last year, Jama was expelled from the NDP caucus and faced criticism from the Ontario legislature for her comments on the war between Israel and Hamas and the events of October 7.

Jama stated that she plans to continue wearing the keffiyeh in the chamber when the MPPs return after a 10-day break.