Avi Lewis vows ‘NDP comeback starts now’ after winning leadership race

Avi Lewis has been named the new leader of the federal NDP, drawing to a close a six-month leadership campaign.

The new leader won on the first ballot, receiving 56 per cent of the total votes cast during the election, or 39,734 out of a possible 70,930.

“This is a tremendous result,” Lewis said in his first remarks following his victory. “But even more important than the results of this leadership vote is the unity of our party.”

While people in the room applauded Lewis, the result did not generate universal praise.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said in a post on X that Lewis becoming the federal leader was “not in the interests of Alberta.”

“Albertans deserve federal leaders who understand the importance of Alberta and our essential role in the federation,” Nenshi wrote.

The election of a new leader came months after former head of the party, Jagmeet Singh, said he would resign after the NDP’s overwhelming loss in the 2025 federal election.

The party was reduced to seven seats in April 2025, but that number has dropped to six when Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossed the floor to the Liberals earlier this month.

“If it isn’t already obvious, we are building a new foundation for our party and we are ready to come roaring back on the Canadian political stage,” Lewis said. “The NDP comeback starts now.”

Heather McPherson came in second place with 20,899 votes, with Tanille Johnston, Rob Ashton and Tony McQuail coming in third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Lewis went on to commend each of his fellow candidates, calling Johnston a “rising star” and saying McQuail reiterated the importance of changing the First Past the Post electoral system. He also said Ashton was the “real deal” and that workers were at the heart of the party while adding McPherson knows “how to win” and that she helps others win.

The NDP’s new leader went on to stress the party’s need to tackle issues Canadians are facing.

“Canadians are living on the edge, we’re under economic from the U.S. while Donald Trump stomps around the globe, grabbing foreign leaders and oil fields and starting wars he has no idea how to stop,” Lewis said. “At the kitchen table in Canada, there’s an even bigger crisis the everyday emergency of just trying to get by in an impossible economy.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated Lewis in a post on X, saying he would take a “collaborative approach.”

“I look forward to speaking about how we can work together to keep delivering for Canadians,” Carney wrote.

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