More people unaware of new NDP leader than those who support him, poll suggests
· Toronto Sun
OTTAWA — The newly elected leader of the struggling federal NDP didn’t make much of a splash among Canadians, according to a new poll.
While the March 29 election of Avi Lewis moved the needle somewhat on how Canadians perceive the new NDP leader, data from Liaison Strategies’ weekly political tracker poll suggests nearly twice as many people reported not being familiar with the once-prominent journalist as those who have a favourable view of him.
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Twenty three per cent of those polled said they hold a favourable view of Lewis, compared to 18% with unfavourable views, and an equal number of Canadians who said they weren’t sure.
Those numbers pale when compared to those who said they weren’t familiar with him, falling from 50% before his election to only 41% post leadership convention.
Lewis won on first ballot
“Lewis is strongest in Quebec, where he posts a 29% favourable against just 8% unfavourable, with Ontario also relatively competitive at 25% favourable and 21% unfavourable,” said Liaison Principal David Valentin.
“Elsewhere, the picture is more mixed — he struggles most in Alberta (10% favourable vs. 27% unfavourable), while in B.C. and the Prairies his numbers are softer and held back by low visibility, and Atlantic Canada is essentially split.”
Lewis handily won the leadership race late last month on the first ballot, beating out NDP MP Heather McPherson, union leader Rob Ashton, social worker Tanille Johnston and farmer Tony McQuail, during a contentious and sometimes comical convention .
Lewis has yet to win a seat to gain entry into the House of Commons.
Concerns over Lewis’ lack of experience, anti-Zionism
Lewis’ support was not universal within the party however, with long-time party stalwart and recently-retired MP Charlie Angus endorsing McPherson, saying that being party leader “isn’t an entry-level position.”
Describing himself as an “anti-Zionist Jewish person,” Lewis’ views have also sparked concern among Canadian Jews — who fear the growing anti-Israel views among Canada’s left will do little to quell the explosion of antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate that has gripped Canada since the Oct. 7, 2023 Palestinian terror attacks.
As well, his election garnered mixed reviews from provincial NDP leaders.
While Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew appeared on stage with Lewis during his victory speech, and provincial leadership in Ontario and New Brunswick praised his win, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi claimed a Lewis-led federal NDP “was not in the interests of Alberta,” paralleling a historic disconnect between the province’s NDP and the federal leadership.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck called Lewis’ policies “ideological and unrealistic,” and publicly refuses to meet with Lewis until he reverses his opposition to new fossil fuel development, while BC Premier David Eby said he’d stand firm against anybody who stood in the way of his province’s energy and mining industry.
With the Lewis NDP administration still in its infancy, Valentin said there’s still time for him to grow his brand.
“The consistent story across every region is how many voters still don’t know him, ranging from about a third in Ontario to nearly half in B.C., which means there’s still a lot of room for these numbers to move as he becomes better known,” he said.
The poll was conducted between March 23 and April 4, 2026, among a random sample of 1,000 Canadians, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.