Avi Lewis, a documentary filmmaker and husband of author and activist Naomi Klein, has been elected leader of Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party.
The NDP — once a key supporter of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government but now reduced to just six seats in the House of Commons — announced the results of its leadership race on Sunday in Winnipeg.
Lewis received 56% of the vote. Heather McPherson, an Edmonton-based member of Parliament, came in second place, with 29%.
A former journalist and activist, Lewis ran on a populist platform aimed at pulling the NDP further to the left. His proposals included ending new oil production, introducing a wealth tax and offering public options for groceries and banking.
Lewis comes from a prominent left-wing political family. His father and grandfather simultaneously led the Ontario and federal NDP in the 1970s. He has also collaborated with Klein on documentary and activism projects largely focused on climate change.
His next challenge will be selling his socialist-leaning vision to a broader electorate.
While the NDP has never formed a federal government, it helped keep Trudeau’s minority government afloat by trading its support for policies such as a national dental program.
But the deal didn’t translate into votes in last year’s election. Many traditional NDP supporters shifted to the Liberals under Mark Carney, while Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives peeled off working-class voters who once reliably backed the union-aligned party.
The outcome was devastating: the party’s seat count fell from 25 to just seven. Jagmeet Singh, who had led the party since 2017, lost his seat and resigned on election night. Earlier this month, the party lost another seat when Nunavut MP Lori Idlout joined the Liberals.
Lewis appears to have captured renewed grassroots enthusiasm, outraising his competitors during the leadership race. Still, the party faces an uphill battle: polling by Abacus Data shows only 34% of voters are open to supporting the NDP, down from 50% a decade ago.
Lewis does not currently hold a seat in Parliament and has said he will focus on rebuilding the party before seeking to enter the House of Commons.