Leah Gazan backs Avi Lewis, becomes first NDP MP to endorse a leadership candidate

By Canadian Press on January 15, 2026.

OTTAWA — Manitoba NDP MP Leah Gazan is formally endorsing documentarian Avi Lewis for the party’s leadership, making her the first sitting MP to officially back a candidate.

Gazan says she is supporting Lewis because she sees him as someone who can rebuild the party and offer solutions to the high cost of living and climate crisis.

High-profile environmentalist David Suzuki endorsed Lewis on Tuesday.

Other NDP leadership candidates have secured high-profile endorsements in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 28 membership cutoff date.

Former Ontario MP Charlie Angus has thrown his support behind Alberta MP Heather McPherson, saying that rebuilding the party is not an “entry level position” and New Democrats need someone who knows how to win.

Union leader Rob Ashton has secured the endorsement of the United Steelworkers union, a founding partner in the NDP with a well-resourced political organizing wing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

11
-10