Avi Lewis wins NDP leadership race in decisive first-ballot victory

Hello, I’m Ian Froese. I cover provincial politics in Manitoba, where the NDP is the governing party.

I’ve spoken to a few delegates in the crowd here in Winnipeg since Avi Lewis was named the NDP’s new leader.

Toronto resident Zhanina Bregu called it emotional to watch Lewis on stage talking proudly and openly about democratic socialism and wanting public ownership of grocery stores and telecommunication providers.

“I haven’t heard any of our leaders in our country talking like that, really in my lifetime,” she said. “I’m excited that a lot of young people, which I count myself in, supported him and are energized by this direction that the party is taking.”

Bregu, decked out in various pins — including one reading “socialism is the big tent” — said Lewis’s ability to attract new members and raise as much money as the rest of the NDP leadership field shows his broad appeal.

Toby Sanger, a Quebecer living in the Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi riding, believes there’s an opening on Canada’s left flank for Lewis’s policies.

He says Prime Minister Mark Carney has “gone a lot further right than I think a lot of people expected, and with increasing inequalities and people struggling and what they’ve seen south of the border … people are looking for a bold new vision.”

One Heather McPherson supporter is taking her defeat in stride.

Raphaël Émond, who ran for the NDP in the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in the 2025 campaign, liked that McPherson already had a seat in the House of Commons — but he believes Lewis is up for the challenge.

“He’ll be pushing for progressive ideas that I think will be able to revive the NDP not only in Quebec but across Canada.”

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/livestory/federal-ndp-announces-leader-9.7146267?cmp=rss