Is Avi Lewis making his first big mistake?
TORONTO—Newly-minted NDP leader Avi Lewis is making an error by not participating in the forthcoming byelections in the two soon-to-be vacant ridings of Beaches-East York, Ont., and North Vancouver-Capilano, B.C. He will not run in either, he says, because his priority is ...
Meet Canada's Anti-Zionist New Democratic Party Leader
From: Investigative Journalism Foundation <info@theijf.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 5, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Subject: NDP’s Lewis slams secret federal contract with Palantir
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From: Davies, Don - M.P. <don.davies@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Fri, Jun 5, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: PLEASE REPLY HERE
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
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https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/08/opinion/ndp-avi-lewis-leadership
The NDP had its moment — and missed it
Avi Lewis at his Ottawa campaign launch on Sept. 25, 2025. Lewis won the NDP leadership decisively on the first ballot. File photo by: Natasha Bulowski / Canada's National Observer
There are always moments in politics when the conditions align for a breakthrough. When public frustration, economic uncertainty and political realignment create an opening for a party to redefine itself and capture the national mood.
Since Prime Minister Mark Carney took over the helm of the federal Liberal Party more than a year ago, we’ve witnessed a sweeping transformation of the Liberals into a political vehicle and government singularly focused on strengthening Canada’s economic and trading partnerships in light of the Trump administration’s threat to our economy.
And with this, the tectonic plates of Canada’s political landscape have shifted. Under Carney, the Liberal Party has made a deliberate pivot toward the political centre — and at times the centre-right — introducing right-leaning criminal justice, immigration and military and defence policy commitments that have been endorsed by leading individuals in the conservative movement like former party leader Erin O’Toole.
But the Liberal Party’s repositioning has left a wide lane open on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It’s a space that has been dominated by Trudeau’s Liberals over the past decade, but historically occupied by the NDP. In fact, at its height when it formed the official opposition in 2011, the NDP polled at just over 30 per cent, demonstrating that with the right ingredients, social democrats in Canada can have mainstream appeal.
If there were ever a moment for a party rooted in pragmatic social democracy to make genuine political gains in Canada, that moment would be now. And yet, in electing Avi Lewis as leader, the NDP appears to have missed the opportunity entirely while turning their backs on the party’s roots as a movement focused on improving the material conditions of working people.
There is no doubt that the moment Canada finds itself in today, both geopolitically and domestically, could benefit from a strong, pragmatic social democratic party.
The middle and working class are increasingly feeling squeezed by stagnating wages that don’t keep pace with the stubbornly high cost of living. Younger generations are confronting a housing market that feels increasingly out of reach. Workers in traditional sectors face disruption from the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and automation, while others struggle with precarious employment or long-term underemployment and unemployment. Fiscal retrenchment, both real and anticipated, has only heightened anxiety about the future of public services and social supports.
This is precisely the kind of environment in which a serious, credible social democratic party should thrive. Canadians are looking for solutions that are ambitious and grounded: policies that can address inequality, strengthen public programs and support economic transition without veering into ideological extremes.
Instead, the NDP has chosen a markedly different path; one that marks a clear departure from pragmatic traditions when past leaders like Jack Layton and Ed Broadbent genuinely competed for power in this country.
Lewis’s political brand stands in sharp contrast to all the NDP’s past leaders; it’s rooted in hardened activism and a more uncompromising form of left-wing politics that has never broken into the Canadian mainstream. It’s a political brand that will no doubt energize a segment of the NDP’s base, but alienate the broader coalition needed to resuscitate the party.
To be sure, Lewis doesn’t assume the party’s leadership without considerable strength. He is the son and grandson of NDP royalty: his late grandfather David and late father Stephen led the federal and Ontario NDP with great success in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. The younger Lewis is also charismatic, a veteran broadcaster, filmmaker and savvy communicator.
And some of his supporters are comparing Lewis to rookie New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who swept to power last year on a bold, unapologetically left-wing platform that spoke to urban voters grappling with inequality, housing affordability and systemic barriers.
But Canada is not New York City. Our political culture, electoral system and economic realities differ in fundamental ways. More importantly, Canada is operating under a very different geopolitical and economic context. The long shadow of US President Donald Trump and the ongoing instability driven by US protectionism and trade tensions looms large over our politics. With this precarious backdrop, voters are clearly gravitating toward stability, economic pragmatism and leaders who project seriousness on issues like trade, energy and national unity.
Lewis’s politics lean heavily into far-left ideology and culture war debates rather than economic credibility and coalition-building. The new NDP leader sees himself as leading an "anti-capitalist movement” while proposing stridently left-wing policies like a national cap on rent, a wealth tax on the top one per cent of income earners and public options for groceries and telecoms.
Perhaps most telling is how some of the NDP’s most prominent provincial leaders reacted to Lewis’s win last month. Within moments of his impressive first ballot victory, Saskatchewan’s Carla Beck and Alberta’s Naheed Nenshi publicly and forcefully distanced themselves from the new leader and his brand of democratic socialism.
Provincial NDP governments and oppositions, especially in Western Canada, have long embodied a more pragmatic, results-oriented form of social democracy. The successes of current and past NDP premiers such as Wab Kinew, David Eby, Rachel Notley, Gary Doer and Roy Romanow have hinged upon balancing progressive values with economic realism, particularly in resource-dependent economies in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In this vein, Lewis’s triumphant victory has exacerbated an already growing policy rift between the party’s federal and provincial wings.
As a longtime Liberal partisan, I could view Lewis’s election purely through a partisan lens. And while a diminished NDP may well benefit my party electorally, as a Canadian it’s difficult not to see this as a loss for traditional social democracy.
Andrew Perez is a Toronto-based non-profit leader, national political commentator and Liberal Party strategist.
Your NDP Team
Meet Avi Lewis
Avi Lewis is a veteran journalist, educator and activist who brings 35 years of movement-building experience to his campaign for NDP leadership, combining grassroots organizing with national media reach to advance working-class politics across Canada.
As a two-time federal NDP candidate (West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea-to-Sky 2021, Vancouver Centre 2025), Avi understands the challenges facing our party and the communities we serve. Between campaigns, he teaches Climate Justice and Documentary Film at UBC, preparing the next generation of organizers and storytellers.
His commitment to workers' rights runs deep. In 2004, his documentary The Take chronicled Argentina's movement of democratic, worker-controlled businesses—shown in occupied factories from Chicago to Cairo. This dedication continues through decades of collaboration with unions and social movements, always centering those fighting for economic democracy.
In 2017, Avi co-founded The Leap, mobilizing thousands of Canadians to confront the intersecting crises of climate, inequality, and racism through grassroots action. His 2019 collaboration with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Message from the Future, reached millions worldwide, demonstrating how bold ideas can capture public imagination. His 2015 documentary This Changes Everything, based on his wife Naomi Klein's bestselling book, connected climate action to economic justice for audiences globally.
Throughout his media career—reporting for TV networks worldwide, hosting CBC's CounterSpin and On The Map, and co-creating Al Jazeera's Fault Lines—Avi has consistently challenged power and amplified voices of resistance. A passionate voice on the left, he pioneered political coverage for youth audiences at MuchMusic and conducted landmark interviews from David Bowie to Leonard Cohen at CityTV's The New Music.
This unique combination of electoral experience, movement leadership, media expertise, and educational commitment positions Avi to unite our party's diverse coalition while expanding our reach to new supporters.
Avi lives in Vancouver with his wife Naomi Klein, their son Toma, and their dog Smoke.
He was elected Leader of Canada's NDP on March 29, 2026.
Federal Executive & Council
New Democrats are dedicated to a vision of a more equal Canada where no one is left behind. The Federal Executive is a group of passionate and diverse individuals who work closely together to set objectives that best serve all Canadians. They meet regularly to ensure the proper and equitable conduct of Party affairs and elections, including fiscal oversight. We are proud to be served by such an inspired and progressive group of Canadians.
| Officers | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Avi Lewis |
| President | Niall Ricardo |
| Vice President | Libby Davies |
| Vice President (Labour) | Siobhan Vipond |
| National Director | Lucy Watson |
| Treasurer | Keira Gunn |
| Executive Representatives | |
| Atlantic Provinces | Meredith O'Hara |
| Atlantic Provinces | Mikayla Gallant |
| Quebec | Mathieu Boisvert |
| Quebec | Sabrina Payant-Smith |
| Ontario | Ali Chatur |
| Ontario | Janelle Brady |
| Saskatchewan | Claire Card |
| British Columbia | Angela Liu |
| North | François Picard |
| Labour Rep | Ann Iwanchuk |
| Labour Rep | François Soucy |
| Canada's Young New Democrats | Rosa Wang |
| Indigenous People's Commission | Sahra MacLean |
| 2SLGBTQI+ Commission | Allos Albis |
| Persons Living with Disability Committee (PLWDC) | Janice Folk-Dawson |
| Women's Council | Yuk-Sem Won |
| Council | |
| Prince Edward Island | Jann Ticknor |
| Nova Scotia | Jamie Masse |
| New Brunswick | Iris Lloyd |
| New Brunswick | Kristine Wickner |
| New Brunswick | Alex White |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Kelly Codner |
| Quebec | Sacha Fusco-Myles |
| Quebec | Charles Orme |
| Quebec | Élé Foulkes |
| Ontario | Krysta-Lee Woodcock |
| Ontario | Mike Bleskie |
| Ontario | Sam Hersh |
| Ontario | Shahad Rashid |
| Ontario | Thadsha Navaneethan |
| Manitoba | Joanne Bjornson |
| Manitoba | Christopher Rigaux |
| Saskatchewan | Catherine Anne Sproule |
| Saskatchewan | Talon Regent |
| Saskatchewan | Trevor Peterson |
| Alberta | Leonard Zasiedko |
| Alberta | Erica Bullwinkle |
| Alberta | Heth Wilson |
| British Columbia | Carrie Bercic |
| British Columbia | Brett Collins |
| British Columbia | Alex Chan |
| British Columbia | Tania Jarzebiak |
| Yukon | Saba Javed |
| Yukon | Bronte Renwick-Shields |
| Northwest Territories | Nikolai Sittmann |
| Northwest Territories | Curtis Joseph Mesher |
| UFCW | Mark Hennessy |
| UFCW | Emma Haggerty |
| CUPE | Angella MacEwen |
| CUPE | Tara Peterson |
| ATU | John Di Nino |
| ATU | Jack Jackson |
| COPE | Christy Slusarenko |
| USW | Kim Hume |
| USW | Brett Barden |
| IBEW | Adam Van Steinburg |
| ILWU | Tom Doran |
| CURC | Patty Coates |
| Regional Women's Representatives | |
| Atlantic Provinces | Ingrid Deon |
| Atlantic Provinces | Lauren Skabar |
| Quebec | Nikki Derochie |
| Ontario | Shinade Allder |
| Ontario | Hannah Tellier |
| Manitoba | Lorie English |
| Saskatchewan | Crystal Palmer |
| British Columbia | Heather Stoutenburg |
| British Columbia | Naseeb Bolduc |
| North | Élaine Michaud |
| Equity Committees | |
| Women's Council Co-Chair | Lia Storey-Gamble |
| Racial Justice and Equity Co-Chair | Ji Won Jung |
| 2SLGBTQI+ Commission | Susan Gapka |
| Persons Living with Disability Co-Chair | Melissa Graham |
| CYND Reps | |
| Co-Chair | Linnea Löfström-Abary |
| Co-Chair | Rosa Wang |
| Secretary | Nicolas Keough |
| Treasurer | Jules Côté |
| Policy | Ben Pickles |
| Communication Director | Mason Mattu |
| Francophone Director | Matthew Sévigny |
| Labour Outreach | Kiersten Garbutt |
| Persons Living with Disability Committee (PLWDC) | Litma Leung |
| LGBT Director | Zye Mayo |
| Women's Director | Jamie Han |
| Indigenous Director | Jenna Elizabeth Straf |
| Racial Justice & Equity Director | Aryan Rajagopal |
Contact us
Canada’s NDP
300 - 279 Laurier West
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J9
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