For the many, not the money: Who is NDP Leader Avi Lewis?

Filmmaker and activist Avi Lewis was elected the new leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) this spring.

Lewis’ election comes at a critical time for the party — one that faces division and one of its weakest moments in history. The NDP only has five seats in Parliament, which is seven short of reaching official party status.

Despite the victory, leaders of the Alberta and Saskatchewan NDP made their stance clear, saying Lewis’ policies are “not in the interests of Alberta” and will “hurt” Saskatchewan workers. They distanced themselves from his energy policies, which are opposed to oil and gas, a big sector in their provinces.

Lewis’ policies are new and differ from the status quo, which may lead to collapse of the system. The leader doesn’t plan to expand pipelines because his view stands with climate protection policies. Such a radical transformation may lead to job loss within this industry.

While his policies may hurt in the short-run, they will benefit in the future. A reduction of fossil fuels will lead to less dependency on oil and gas, which exhaust national resources, cause harm to the environment, and is not sustainable.

In his victory speech, Lewis addressed the differences between New Democrats who disagree with him on some issues.

“Our debates are another sign that our party is back and our tent is growing — it is big enough to hold some differences of opinion within it,” Lewis said.

Lewis’ policies centre around a key philosophy — for the many, not the money.

A key priority is to build a big tent and represent the 99 per cent — the low, middle, and working classes. Another component of his agenda is tax policy changes, which seek to make the ultra-rich pay more. He also aims to end fossil fuel subsidies and tax excess corporate profits.

However, this policy may have some irreversible risks. Big corporations not dependent on remaining in Canada may decide to move out of the country, as higher taxes could mean lower profits for them.

Lewis also plans to provide more support to seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. Overall, his core vision is reducing poverty by taxing the rich and corporations more and creating new social services.

Lewis is also a workers’ rights advocate, who touched on unionizing, regulation of artificial intelligence, and employment insurance (EI).

His campaign included increasing EI wage replacement to 75 per cent from its current 55 per cent, creating a standard of 360 insurance hours, and a $600-per-week minimum benefit. As a result, Canadians may be more secure in the face of job loss.

Lewis also believes that price increases across sectors such as grocery stores and telecom are caused by the dominance of some big players — specifically monopolies.

The NDP leader has a clear vision and strong communication skills sharpened by his media experience.

However, to succeed, Lewis will need to broaden his ideology and address regional concerns while moving to a sustainable future.