Debating the Avi Lewis Impact
We asked NDPers, current and former, to weigh in on the state of social democracy in Canada, and on Avi Lewis’s recent decision to pursue the party’s nomination in West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country. This is the first component of our coverage in advance of the upcoming federal election in fall 2021.
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Avi Lewis and the NDP: Why stars don’t point the way forward for the left
The real challenges for the left today are not about big names and bold ideas. They’re about identity and mobilization. We’ve been led to believe that elections are about individual voters examining parties and their policies like consumers looking for the best deal while parties are policy entrepreneurs just trying to meet consumer demands. But research on voters and party behaviour doesn’t support such a view.
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Can Avi Lewis carry on the success of his family’s electoral tradition?
At a time when concerted effort is required to address the overlapping crises of the climate, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic inequality, and racial injustice, perhaps more activists should, in fact, seek a seat in the House of Commons. And maybe, when the votes are counted in the next federal election, there will be another Lewis pounding on the desk, demanding justice and equality for all Canadians.
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Prospects for the NDP
While we should guard against illusions, there are reasons to be optimistic about the current prospects for the federal NDP and what I have called a “rekindling of democratic socialism.” The NDP seem set to offer a clear left alternative to the Liberals. That is good news indeed, not just in electoral terms, but also in terms of rekindling democratic socialism.
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Avi Lewis has the moral courage to add substance to the NDP
At this critical time a voice that challenges the power of capital is a welcome prospect. Avi Lewis is not afraid to ask and tackle the tough questions we face collectively. He has both the moral courage and the policy credentials that have the potential to add substance to the NDP. The party must embrace the opportunity that his candidacy represents.
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Can Avi Lewis inject new life into the New Democrats?
Avi Lewis sees his role as part of a rising progressive group of politicians. The challenge before us is epic. But in the cataclysmic times we are living in, anything is possible, even reforming the NDP. Just like the Waffle emerged in the tumultuous 1960s, so a new feminist, anti-racist, eco-socialist movement can emerge today inside the NDP. That is my hope and I know that Avi will be part of making it happen.
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Shaking up the status quo in the NDP
Assessing Avi Lewis’s run for a parliamentary seat and possible longer term ambitions must be put into context if it has any meaning for the left other than to shake things up a bit. The real question is whether this can be seen as part of a larger effort to radically transform Canadian politics and the New Democratic Party, and whether such a project has any real prospects.
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Avi Lewis brings bold Green New Deal vision to NDP campaign
It’s official: Avi Lewis is running for the NDP in the next federal election, which may well happen later this year. He secured the nomination for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country in late May, and has hit the ground running on his campaign. According to Christo Aivalis, Lewis has an opportunity to make a real impact on Canadian politics within the formal arena.
