After more than 100 days as NDP leader, has Avi Lewis moved the needle?

After more than 100 days as NDP leader, has Avi Lewis moved the needle?

New polling says favourability for Lewis and vote intention for NDP remain flat

NDP Leader Avi Lewis spent the first 100 days at his party's helm outside of Parliament, and isn't looking for a seat any time soon.

But since his election in March, the seatless leader also appears to have made little headway in making a name for himself among Canadians.

Recent polling from Abacus Data found a quarter of Canadians don't know enough about Lewis to form an opinion. An additional 31 per cent feel neutral about him.

"One hundred days into his leadership, Mr. Lewis remains largely unknown and unfamiliar to most Canadians," said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto.

Abacus found 17 per cent of Canadians have a positive impression of Lewis, which represents no change from what polling showed in early April.

"He hasn't yet, I think, done anything to expand his presence and reach audiences outside of the party and outside of those that he engaged during his leadership election," Coletto said.

The survey also found that 34 per cent of Canadians would consider voting NDP in July, essentially no movement from 35 per cent in early April.

Abacus surveyed 2,366 Canadian adults from June 25 to July 2. It said a margin of error for a comparable random sample would be 2.02 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Avi Lewis wins NDP leadership race in decisive first-ballot victory

Before winning the party's leadership, Lewis ran twice unsucessfully for the federal NDP: first in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country in 2021 and then in Vancouver Centre in 2025. He placed third in both races.

Last week, the NDP told CBC News that Lewis won't be running in any of the seven byelections expected in the coming months.

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Both Coletto and polls analyst Éric Grenier said that decision is no surprise because the potential of a loss so early in Lewis's leadership could weaken his position.

A win, however, would give Lewis and the party much-needed visibility, Grenier said.

"He'd be in the House of Commons, asking questions, getting into the media cycle every day," he said.

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Lewis told CBC's Rosemary Barton the night of his leadership win that running for office is "very important, but it's not the primary importance right now" and that "we have a big job of rebuilding to do."

Strategist and former NDP MP Matthew Dubé said that Lewis getting a seat eventually needs to be part of the party's rebuilding plan.

"It doesn't need to be tomorrow, but I think there does need to be a plan if they're not going to take that opportunity this go around," Dubé said.

"Avi Lewis will run for a seat, there is no debate about that," the NDP said in a statement.

A party spokesperson would not, however, confirm whether he would run before the next general election.

"Right now, his job is not to chase a single vacancy but to rebuild the party outside Parliament so we can send many more New Democrats to Ottawa in the next election," the NDP statement said.

"He will run when we feel that goal has been accomplished."

That task of rebuilding is a steep one for Lewis, as the federal party remains without official party status in Ottawa and as its five-MP caucus represents a historic low.

The party pointed to three of the last four NDP leaders not having a seat in the House of Commons when they were elected.

One of those was Jack Layton, who became NDP leader in 2003 and eventually brought the party to its best-ever showing, forming the Official Opposition in the 2011 election. He died of cancer later that year.

Brad Lavigne, the NDP's campaign manager during the 2011 campaign and Layton's principal secretary, said he supports Lewis's decision not to run in any of the upcoming byelections.

"The number-one priority is to get ready for the next general election," Lavigne said.

He said that means travelling the country, building up ridings, coming up with interesting policy proposals and holding the current government to account.

He pointed to Layton criss-crossing the country for a year and a half before he was first elected in the 2004 general election.

"That's how you build," Lavigne said.

But one difference between then and now is the amount of time Lewis likely has before Canadians across the country head to the polls.

"It's possible that the next election will be three years after he becomes leader. So that's a long time to remain on the sidelines," Grenier said.

The party says Lewis is focused on travelling across the country to connect with Canadians, recruiting local candidates, strengthening riding associations and rebuilding the party while outside the House.

The party says Lewis is spending the month in Montreal, which will play host to key byelections.

From 2019: The decline and fall of the NDP in Quebec

Quebec MP Alexandre Boulerice officially quits NDP to run provincially for Québec Solidaire

The riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie was held by former environment minister Steven Guilbeault, who quit the Liberal cabinet over an energy deal with Alberta. And Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie was the NDP's last seat in Quebec before Alexandre Boulerice left the party to run provincially.

The province was critical to the NDP's success in 2011, but it lost seats there in every following election.

According to Abacus polling, only 15 per cent of Quebecers would now consider voting for the party.

Lewis is set to spend the month canvassing door-to-door and working on his French.

David Cummings is a reporter for CBC News.