For the 55% of those Citizens who usually vote for the NDP this is your new Leader – Avi Lewis (wiki-ref here). A very controversial figure within the Party and out of it as well. The election immediately sparked kickback from a couple of NDP Provincial Party leaders because of his stand against “Big Oil” and the economy’s tilt toward a “Petro-economy”

That issue is not the only issue that dogs him. The decision to elect Avi immediately came under fire from Jewish organisations. The CIJA (The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is the advocacy agent of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, representing Jewish Federations across Canada.) issued a statement – here and one para stands out in its extremism “On the eve of this convention, rabbis from across our community issued a clear call. They warned that Jewish members feel increasingly alienated, that antizionism is being used as a cover for antisemitism, and that NDP spaces are becoming unsafe for Jewish and all Canadians with mainstream views.” This statement reminds me of the vitriolic campaign against Jeremy Corbin of the UK Labour Party, who was eventually pushed out by allegations of antisemitism. I fear the same money and establishment will try to replicate the campaign against Avi Lewis. For a very long read about the UK Labour Party’s struggle with the issue read this BBC article here. The whole problem boils down to one simple belief can you criticise the Israel for its policies and actions and not blame/criticise/hate Jewish people as being responsible for them.

Notes about antisemitism:

The UK and a number of other IHRA members have adopted or endorsed the working definition, as well as a series of accompanying “contemporary” examples of how anti-Semitism manifests itself in public life. These include Holocaust denial, denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (through the existence of a State of Israel), and holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of that state.

Unfortunately the application of that definition has led to many corruptions of it and modern definitions, as exemplified by many US States and enshrined in legislation is now defined as any objection to Israeli policies, especially the War in Gaza and support for Palestinian Statehood. The definition has basically evolved into a “litmus test” – what side are you on in this struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Anyway I wish Avi the best and look fort a mature pragmatic approach to deal with recalcitrant party members, uncooperative Party Leaders and the sceptics who would never vote for him but could be impressed with a new approach. After all the Country does not need another ‘Centrist, pragmatic, aquiescent political party and definitely not amnother “Liberal Lite”! It does need a progressive alternative.

 

 

An unbiased look at Avi written by  Yohann Thiou of MSN

“A landslide victory on the first ballot

On March 29, the New Democratic Party of Canada elected Avi Lewis as its new leader at a convention held in Winnipeg. Lewis, 58, won on the first ballot with 56.02% of the vote, securing 39,734 votes out of a total of 70,930 valid ballots cast.

He beat out MP Heather McPherson, who received 29.46% of the vote, as well as three other candidates. Lewis becomes the first NDP leader never to have held elected office before ascending to the helm of the party.

A family legacy rooted in the left

Born in Toronto in May 1967 under the name Avram David Lewis, the new NDP leader carries a weighty political heritage. His grandfather, David Lewis, led the NDP from 1971 to 1975, and his father, Stephen Lewis, led the Ontario NDP from 1970 to 1978 before serving as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations.

His mother, Michele Landsberg, is a celebrated journalist and author. This political genealogy stretches back even further: his great-great-grandfather, Moishe Lewis, had fled Poland after being threatened with imprisonment for his political activities, arriving in Montreal in 1921.

From journalism to activism

In 2015, he also directed This Changes Everything, which was a finalist in the documentary category at the Toronto International Film Festival. That same year, Lewis and Klein launched the Leap Manifesto, a document proposing sweeping transformations to Canada’s economy and society in response to the climate crisis.

A platform anchored on the left

Lewis takes over an NDP that has been considerably weakened. Once the official opposition in 2011, the NDP now holds only six seats in the House of Commons following the 2025 federal election, in which it lost 17 seats. The party polls at 12% support, and a quarter of its former voters now consider it “irrelevant,” according to an Angus Reid poll.

To revive the party, Lewis is betting on a left-wing platform: establishing a Canadian Green New Deal, creating non-profit public grocery stores, capping rents, building public housing, placing a moratorium on data centre construction linked to artificial intelligence, and defending Palestinian rights.

A sizeable challenge

In his victory speech in Winnipeg, Lewis declared that the NDP’s comeback starts now, promising to build a government that serves the many rather than money. His arrival at the helm of the party comes, however, in a delicate context: he holds no seat in the House of Commons, which prevents him from participating directly in parliamentary debates. He will therefore need to run in a future by-election or general election.

Lewis had been a candidate in two Vancouver ridings in 2021 and 2025, finishing third in both cases. His leadership campaign was well-funded, raising more than $1.5 million from more than 11,000 donors.”