Stephen Lewis dead at 88: Canadian leaders share tributes to a 'giant' in the NDP movement

“It is with profound sadness that the Foundation shares the news of the passing of our co-founder Stephen Lewis,” the statement reads.

“Stephen was a respected humanitarian who spent his life championing social justice and human rights. Throughout his political and international careers, he was committed to creating a more equitable world,” the foundation said.

Politicians took to social media Tuesday to mourn the former leader of the Ontario NDP who helped the party rise to official opposition status in the 1970s. His son, Avi Lewis, was elected leader of the federal NDP on Sunday.

On Tuesday evening, Avi Lewis reposted the NDP’s post on X that paid homage to his father. The party called the elder Lewis “a titan of our movement” and wrote “few have been his equal in the advancement of democratic socialism in Canada, or of human rights, compassion and equality on the global stage.”

Here’s how other Canadian leaders are reacting to Lewis’s death.

Mark Carney

“Today, I join Canadians in mourning the loss of Stephen Lewis, a pillar of compassionate leadership in Canadian democracy and a renowned global champion for human rights and multilateralism,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement Tuesday.

“As a member of Ontario’s legislature, Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, and Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Lewis moved millions with his appeals for a compassionate and just society,” Carney continued.

“He helped position Canada as a principled leader in ending apartheid in South Africa and believed that proper health care was key to reducing poverty and growing economies,” the prime minister said. “As the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and later as the co-founder of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, he pressed the world to see the human toll of this horrific epidemic not as a distant tragedy, but as a shared responsibility that demanded global action.”

“I offer my condolences to Stephen Lewis’ wife, Michele, their three children, and all those whose lives he touched,” Carney added. “He will be deeply missed.”

Marit Stiles 

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles says she was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the longtime New Democrat, adding he was a “giant in our movement.” 

“He fought tirelessly to level the playing field for working class Canadians and take on inequality head on. For me, Stephen was a trusted adviser, and a sounding board who was generous with his time, kindness, and wisdom,” she wrote in a post on X. 

Stiles credited Lewis with helping establish rent control in the province as a Scarborough MPP and applauded his leadership as the UN Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa during the early 2000s. 

Olivia Chow

“Stephen Lewis lived his life so fully and so many of us are just grateful for his contributions,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, a former NDP MP, said Tuesday. 

“His generosity of spirit has inspired us and inspired millions of people around the globe to do more to support the grandmothers to fight AIDS in Africa (and) to do more to support communities in developing the world so that they can be lifted out of poverty.”

“He (brought out) the best in all of us, and it’s very sad that he has passed away,” Chow said. “But I know his legacy will live on through the Stephen Lewis Foundation, through the thousands of speeches he has made, (and) through all the young people and people worldwide that are now engaged in making the world a better place for everyone.”

Don Davies

Former interim leader of the federal NDP Don Davies expressed his sadness at Lewis’s passing, saying he was “profoundly grateful for his contributions to the NDP, Canada and the world.”

He also expressed his sympathies to Avi Lewis and his family.

Pierre Poilievre

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre offered condolences to Lewis’ loved ones, mentioning his son Avi by name.

Elizabeth May

Green Party leader Elizabeth May said Canada “has lost a champion for human rights, climate and justice” and lamented “such a bittersweet day so soon after Avi Lewis’s win.” 

In a subsequent post, May noted that the elder Lewis chaired the first major global climate conference — which took place in Toronto in 1988 — along with serving as the country’s ambassador to the UN.

Doug Ford

Ontario premier and leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative party Doug Ford said he was “sad to hear of the death of Stephen Lewis, who spent many decades serving the people of Ontario and Canada,” in a statement on social media.

“My sincere condolences go out to his family and loved ones,” Ford wrote.

David Eby

British Columbia premier and leader of the B.C. NDP David Eby called Lewis “an incredible human” who “always put people first,” adding that his family is in his thoughts.

Wab Kinew

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew — also an NDP premier — posted a tribute to Lewis on Instagram and Facebook on Tuesday night.

Kinew wrote in the caption that Lewis was the reason he joined the NDP, and he wrote in the graphic that Lewis’s courage “bolstered” Kinew’s uncle and late father “as Anishinaabe people threw off our shackles during the civil rights movement.”

With files from Mahdis Habibinia