In a wide-ranging interview with Nation to Nation host Karyn Pugliese, federal NDP leader Avi Lewis described being pressed by Elders at Cowessess First Nation over an unresolved land claim tied to more than 20,000 acres of farmland taken from the Nation in 1907. Lewis said the Elders were “unsparing” and that First Nations have “every reason” to distrust the political system, acknowledging that the NDP prioritized programs like dental care and pharmacare over specific land claims during its time holding the balance of power.
Lewis framed the visit as a “mission,” arguing that despite being reduced to five MPs the NDP remains a national party with an obligation to push Indigenous justice issues. The party lost official status after falling to seven seats in the 2025 election, and its caucus shrank further after Inuk MP Lori Idlout crossed to the Liberals and another MP left for provincial politics. The NDP’s current strategy is not to seek a seat for Lewis but to have him tour the country and reconnect with the base ahead of the next election.
On energy, Lewis said he has come to accept nuclear power as part of Canada’s future generation mix but opposes the Carney government’s rush to expand it, favouring renewables instead and pointing to Indigenous-led solar projects connected to the Leap Manifesto. He reiterated the NDP’s position that free, prior and informed consent under UNDRIP must include the right to say “no.”
Source: APTN News. Reproduced for reference under fair dealing (Copyright Act, s. 29).