Roberty Thivierge (Thivierr), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Following Avi Lewis’ victory in the 2026 NDP leadership election, the leaders of the Alberta and Saskatchewan New Democratic Parties, Naheed Nenshi and Carla Beck, respectively, have released statements criticizing the election of Lewis.
Nenshi, head of the ABNDP since June 2024, published a statement on Twitter stating that the federal NDP selected a leader who “is not in the interests of Alberta.” At the centre of Nenshi’s statement was the principle that the Alberta NDP promises to keep and expand upon pipeline construction, something that Lewis has vocally been opposed to.
Given that Lewis’ primary challenger in this month’s leadership race, Heather McPherson, is an MP from Alberta who has campaigned on maintaining strong relationships with Provincial chapters of the NDP, it is likely that Nenshi hoped for a McPherson victory.
Today, the federal New Democratic Party selected its new leader.
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) March 29, 2026
It is clear that the direction of the federal party under this new leader, someone who openly cheered for the defeat of the Alberta NDP government, is not in the interests of Alberta.
Last year, Alberta’s New…
Carla Beck, who has been the leader of the Saskatchewan NDP since June 2022, stated in a letter that Lewis was “ideological and unrealistic,” according to CTV News. In a sentiment seemingly similar to that held by Nenshi, Beck’s letter was focused on Lewis’ attacks on the oil industry and Prairie-province fossil fuel jobs.
Beck reportedly refused to meet with Lewis until he “shows a willingness to try to understand the realities of [Saskatchewan].”
This situation will be an early struggle in Lewis’ federal New Democratic Party, a party that was already poised to be in a difficult position prior to this controversy. Since the 2025 federal election, the NDP has struggled financially, dealt with internal friction, lost members to floor-crossing, and more. While Lewis’ ability to gather crowds and fund-raise will play a major part should the party rebound, he will also need to carefully navigate himself in repairing the party’s fractured coalition.
With all this said, it is important to note that there was an impressive level of unity on display at the NDP convention itself. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew spoke at the event, and has already released his own statement on Twitter congratulating Lewis, marking a difference in direction from the other two Prairie NDP leaders. Additionally, NDP voters broadly voted for Lewis by an overwhelming amount, something that runs directly contrary to any sort of “divided party” narrative.
In any case, between a reported $13M in debt, the smallest House of Commons presence that the party has ever had, and friction between the federal and the provincial, NDP leader Avi Lewis has a lot of work to do in repairing his party.
About The Author
