Canada’s federal New Democratic Party has formally handed its leadership to left-wing filmmaker and self-described eco-socialist Avi Lewis. The sweeping leadership transition on Sunday arrives in the direct aftermath of the party’s catastrophic 2025 election collapse, which saw former leader Jagmeet Singh resign after the NDP lost its recognized official party status in the House of Commons.
Lewis secured a dominant first-ballot victory at the party convention in Winnipeg. He captured 56 percent of the vote, locking in 39,734 of the 70,930 total ballots cast. He decisively defeated runner-up Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, who managed 20,899 votes.
The 58-year-old campaigned on an unabashedly left-wing platform. He promised heavy wealth taxes on the top 1 percent, a “Green New Deal,” and the creation of government-owned grocery stores to combat price gouging.
“Canada needs a government that serves the many, not the money,” Lewis declared in his victory speech Sunday morning.
"Our plan is to Trump-proof the economy by investing massively in Canadian economic independence using the unmatched power of public ownership to ensure the fundamentals of a good life," says new NDP Leader Avi Lewis in victory speech to party convention in Winnipeg.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/rE3h2xJArE
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 29, 2026
He assumes national control of the party having never held public office. Lewis placed third in his own local riding during both the 2021 and 2025 federal elections. He does descend from Canadian progressive political royalty. His grandfather, David Lewis, led the federal NDP in the 1970s. His father, Stephen Lewis, led the Ontario provincial faction.
The decisive victory was detailed in a profile published over the weekend. Lewis capitalized on his heavy frontrunner status leading into the convention. The win completes a total progressive takeover of the party’s infrastructure. Less than 24 hours earlier, a pro-Lewis “change, together” slate swept the NDP’s executive board elections.
His immediate pledge to aggressively phase out fossil fuels has instantly exposed regional rifts within the party’s resource-dependent strongholds. Anticipating Sunday’s outcome, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi preemptively released a conflicting provincial energy platform on Friday. Nenshi’s platform explicitly backs the expansion of heavy oil pipelines and natural gas development.