For many decades, the New Democratic Party (NDP) stood strong for the wellbeing of Canadians. Formed as a partnership between the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the NDP emerged on the scene in 1961 to advocate for public services, employment rights, economic equality, and other important issues. Today, though, the party’s reputation is sinking fast thanks to its new leader and his penchant for populist politics.
Avi Lewis was selected in March 2026 to take the helm of the NDP, after former leader Jagmeet Singh lost in Canada’s 2025 federal election. Lewis was a curious choice, having never earned an elected seat. He did try twice to become a Member of Parliament – but lost both times. In his political races of 2021 and 2025, he came in third behind Liberal and Conservative candidates.
Lewis’s career includes television host, political commentator, documentary filmmaker, educator, and an activist. In the latter, he is known for trying to be all things to all people – often taking multiple complex issues like climate, labour, and race relations and trying to connect them all together. It’s the kind of approach that lends itself well to rage-baiting, which is a skill he is now carrying forward into his political career.
Following family tradition
Perhaps Avi Lewis stepped into politics because of his pedigree. He is the third generation of a prominent political family, with his grandfather David Lewis a former leader of the federal NDP, and his father Stephen Lewis once heading up Ontario’s provincial NDP. But descending from politicians does not mean you’re going to be good at it. In fact, if Avi is to be judged by his actions so far, he’s proving to be pretty bad at it.
For starters, instead of collaborating with the governing party, he is choosing the blame-game. Just like his federal colleague Pierre Poilievre, Lewis is showing up as an ever-flowing fountain of fault. It doesn’t matter how significant the issue is, how precarious the situation for our country, or how difficult the negotiation… in Lewis’s estimation, Prime Minister Mark Carney is wrong.
Just like Poilievre, Lewis is savvy at amplifying fallacy over fact. He regularly accuses Carney of things like putting ‘big business’ ahead of Canadians. His latest flurry of misinformation declares that Carney is “fast-tracking corporate Canada while Canadians struggle.” He is using language indicative of the ‘populist’ approach to politics – which is what Poilievre specializes in.
Working against government
On the rare occasion Lewis does support something that Carney’s government has done, he is quick to take credit. For example, in response to Trump’s tariffs, after Carney made phone calls to each of the other party leaders, Lewis issued a media statement which began with: “I reiterated the NDP’s support for Canada walking away from a bad deal and welcomed the relief measures announced today as a first step…”
Lewis framed NDP interventions as having forced Carney’s hand, like a true Poilievre understudy. As well, by referring to his own party in what should have been a non-partisan statement of support for Canada, Lewis chose to bring partisanship to the forefront. At a time when Canadians want and need elected officials to choose country over party, Lewis is making it clear he is putting his own political party and career first. The same way Poilievre does, too.
Most concerning, though, is how Lewis is choosing to actively work against our government when it comes to the stability of our economic future – and we just saw this play out in real time.
Carney invited international investors to gather in Toronto on September 14 and 15 – a bold and clever strategy that could result in billions of dollars invested in Canada. Instead of respecting that Mark Carney is one of the world’s most renowned and highly regarded economists, and acknowledging that he knows what he is doing… Lewis encouraged Canadians to protest the investment summit. Instead of working collaboratively to ensure good trade deals are being made for the benefit of our country during unprecedented geopolitical times, he is choosing fearmongering. Just like Poilievre.
Rage-bait politics
Lewis regularly makes accusations that Carney is “putting corporations first,” that “big manly projects” will endanger women, and that Carney doesn’t care about the “environmental protections.” He is repeating talking points meant to stir up resentment and animosity, about families struggling to make ends meet, and people not being able to find jobs. Instead of focusing on the many positive things happening in our country, he is choosing to use alarmist rhetoric at every turn. Concluding that when it comes to rage-bait politics, Lewis is now in a race with Poilievre for first place.
It’s baffling to understand why Lewis would choose to emulate someone like Poilievre. Politics is the only job he has ever had. While being two-faced is the only one he has ever shown. Poilievre spent the past two decades honing the craft of rage-baiting, double-talking, blaming, sloganeering, and stoking division. Fortunately for Canadians, he also happens to be sinking in the polls.
If Avi Lewis has aspirations for a political career, wouldn’t it benefit him to understand at a deeper level how diplomacy and partnerships work? Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to learn from the guy who is an expert at global economies and international trade?
The choice is his
There’s no doubt we are living though an unbelievable era, where our once closest ally has become our biggest threat. Prime Minister Carney said it best when he said “nostalgia is not a strategy.” Our reality is such that our country needs to strengthen new relationships and diversity globally. Fortunately this is the kind of stuff Mark Carney is really good at. It’s unfortunate that Avi Lewis can’t see that.
It’s a shame Lewis won’t put politics aside enough to support what Carney is trying to do. Especially when most Canadians recognize how hard he is working to establish long-term economic stability for our country. For all of us.
It’s a waste that instead of uniting to help strengthen opportunities for Canada’s sake, Lewis is choosing to protest and obstruct an international investment summit. From this, Canadians can only conclude he is working hard to establish short-term political gain. For himself.
