Avi Lewis vows to unify NDP but stands by attacks on Mulcair, former Alberta minister

WINNIPEG — Frontrunner Avi Lewis vowed to unify the NDP in his last media scrum before the party’s new leader is announced on Sunday, but he stood by attacks on two prominent moderate figures within the party.

Lewis doubled down on earlier comments he made criticizing Thomas Mulcair, former federal NDP leader and Quebec lieutenant, telling reporters that Mulcair set the party back years by pivoting to the right ahead of the 2015 federal election.

“I think Tom Mulcair made a decision in the 2015 election that cost us a lot, and there’s still a lot of hard feelings within the NDP about his tack to the right,” Lewis told reporters on Saturday.

He said that Mulcair’s campaign promise to balance the federal budget in his first year, while the victorious Liberals campaigned on running short-term deficits , cost the NDP the election when they were “on the verge of taking power.”

“We all understood at the time that (balancing the budget) would mean eviscerating social spending,” said Lewis. “It was an irresponsible decision.”

On Friday, Lewis said in an interview that he didn’t feel the need to follow Mulcair’s advice to run for a seat in Parliament as soon as possible if he wins on Sunday, adding that Mulcair wasn’t in a position to share words of wisdom.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to say that I have no intention of taking advice from Thomas Mulcair,” said Lewis. “I think that (Mulcair) started the process of our undoing as a party with a clear position on the progressive side of the spectrum.”

Lewis reiterated this on Saturday, saying that he and Mulcair represent “different kinds of NDP.”

Lewis’s comments underscore divisions between hardline leftists and moderates that have surfaced during the leadership race. Some within the party have expressed concerns that a win for Lewis — a democratic socialist running on a sweeping agenda of public ownership and decarbonization — could jeopardize the electoral prospects of more pragmatic provincial wings, especially in western Canada.

Mulcair became the first Quebecer to lead the NDP in 2012, leading the party to a loss of 51 seats and official opposition status in the 2015 federal election. He failed a leadership review vote in 2016.

Lewis said on Saturday that he was more interested in “unifying the party” than anything Mulcair had to say.

Mulcair told National Post that Lewis was in no position to put moderates like himself in the back seat, especially without having a seat in Parliament.

“Back seat in what? Not in Parliament, (Lewis) doesn’t want to run to get a front seat!” said Mulcair.

Lewis has said he won’t immediately run for a set if he becomes the NDP’s next leader. He intends to focus on fixing the party’s finances and internal operations.

Labour union leader Rob Ashton, who is also running to be the NDP’s next leader, said that Mulcair deserves to be treated with respect for his service with the party.

“Tom Mulcair was the leader of our party, and he was elected to be leader of our party. And I respect all the hard work he did fighting for New Democrats and for the working class of this country,” said Ashton.

Ashton added that he would listen to advice from Mulcair, or any New Democrat.

Heather McPherson, the Edmonton NDP MP seen as Lewis’s chief rival, declined to comment on his remarks targeting Mulcair, but she also stressed the importance of listening to different people across the party.

“I will listen to anyone. I will not guarantee I will take advice from anyone, but I will certainly listen,” said McPherson.

Lewis sidestepped a question about former Alberta NDP environment minister Shannon Phillips, who he and wife, author Naomi Klein, appeared to ridicule in a 2020 YouTube video that resurfaced earlier this month. He didn’t directly address the video and instead said he was “proud” to have run a “very positive campaign.”

“We’ve seen attempts to dredge up divisions from a decade ago. We’re not going there,” said Lewis.

Phillips said she wasn’t buying Lewis’s performance in taking the high road.

“Taking the high road is apologizing,” said Phillips, but she says she hasn’t heard from Lewis or Klein since the video clip made the rounds.

McPherson, who has been endorsed by Phillips, said the reaction to the resurfaced video by Lewis and Klein is “an example” of why New Democrats should “not be attacking each other (or) giving conservatives a cudgel to attack provincial (wings of the party).”

Ashton didn’t comment directly on the video but said that he “support(s) Shannon Phillips.”

National Post
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