Tolerance.ca® - Yannick Vallée's Column

Yannick Vallée's Column

By Yannick B. Vallee

B.A. Political Science, Bishop's University, Québec, Canada

Yannick B. Vallee is a political scientist who recently graduated from Bishop’s University (Quebec, Canada) in the BA program of political science. He also has a college degree of Business Administration with a specialization in marketing. Nowadays, he specializes in American, Canadian, and Japanese Politics. He also studies Asian foreign policy with special interest on Japan and its influence in Asia. He has a keen interest in American and Canadian history.

Articles in this column

Back to the Roots: How Avi Lewis Aims to Revive Canada’s Progressive Movement

By Yannick B. Vallee, B.A. Political Science, Bishop's University, Québec, Canada, Member of Tolerance.ca®

In March 2026, the New Democrats held a national leadership convention in Winnipeg to choose a new leader after the resignation of Jagmeet Singh. Avi Lewis from Toronto was chosen as the leader of the New Democrats. Consequently, Mr. Lewis became the voice of Canada’s most influential progressive movement. The NDP has influenced Canada’s politics since the 1950s by giving a strong voice to progressive Canadians. In addition, Connor John Molinaux, a University of Calgary Master of Arts student, defines the NDP as the social conscience of Canada because the political organization has a true commitment to improving society for the better. Even though the New Democrats never took power at the national level, they formed governments in 6 provinces and in one territory. Avi Lewis easily won the NDP leadership race with 56% of the vote in a preferential voting system. Avi Lewis comes from a family deeply rooted in the NDP movement; Lewis is the grandson of David Lewis, former federal NDP leader in the early 1970s, and he is the son of Stephen Lewis, former Ontario NDP leader and famous diplomat and humanitarian. Avi Lewis is a Canadian filmmaker, journalist, and activist. Above all, Avi Lewis is a true social democrat, but he might be seen by some people as a democratic socialist. As a new leader, Avi Lewis needs to rebuild the New Democratic Party because it lost most of its seats in the last 10 years. The NDP lost its official party status after a defeat in the 2025 federal elections caused by the poor performance of its leader and the revival of the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Mark Carney. (Full Story)