00:00:00.260Hello, my friends. I found an essay, a semi-autobiographical essay by Avi Lewis, the new NDP leader, that he wrote when he was in his early 20s.
00:00:10.620And it was about himself and his time at Canada's fanciest private school.
00:00:15.420And I think it's really relevant to his leadership of the NDP.
00:00:19.020And I'd like to take you through his essay. It's quite interesting.
00:00:21.940I also talk with Stockwell Day about the NDP, and I show a couple of funny videos from their conference.
00:05:51.440We went pro-con, pro, and my plan was to go con.
00:05:54.840The speaker at con mic three also has a speaking card.
00:05:58.520Yesterday, this card was used in an inappropriate matter.
00:06:03.560And while I understand in Ontario, we know this as equity, even if that, this was also used inappropriate in terms of gender.
00:06:11.600I want everyone to be mindful that these cards for individuals like myself who identify as a black woman have no value outside of this space.
00:06:22.280Yeah, I mean, wow. I don't think that Avi Lewis's grandfather, David Lewis, would even recognize the NDP. I should tell you that David Lewis, Avi Lewis's grandpa, who led the Ontario NDP, he took a hard line against communists.
00:06:40.820I know you might think, what? An NDP or against communists? Yeah, he was a socialist, but he was a hard line against communists. And remember, you know, 100 years or so ago, there was a real worry about communist infiltration here. So you had David Lewis, the grandpa, taking a hard line against communism. David Lewis, very successful man politically, was a successful lawyer. He really opened up a lot of doors.
00:07:05.220I mean, it's a small point, but he was a Jewish leader of the NDP, and he actually was fairly pro-Israel.
00:07:13.240I wouldn't call him a full-bore Zionist, but he wasn't an anti-Zionist extremist like his grandson Avi.
00:07:20.980By the way, Avi is a pretty Jewish name, isn't it?
00:07:24.060Then there's the son, Stephen Lewis, the second generation to become political party leader.
00:07:30.500He was at the federal level. Not only did he serve in the federal parliament, then he was appointed Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, if I'm not mistaken.
00:07:39.040It was actually Brian Mulroney who did that. So two generations of extremely successful men, but each one progressively becoming more socialist.
00:07:49.060And then, of course, there's Avi Lewis himself, who Danielle Smith, I think, accurately said, meets the test of communism.
00:07:56.960He believes in the public ownership of the means of production.
00:08:00.220Here's Danielle Smith saying this the other day, and it's tough to disagree with her.
00:08:04.160Well, I don't think they can have a different policy, quite frankly.
00:08:07.380If you look at their party constitution, it says that in any matter not dealt with in the constitution,
00:08:13.220the constitution of the new democratic party of Canada shall prevail.
00:08:17.400And it also says that the federal NDP says that even though they have autonomous federal provincial parties,
00:08:24.160They can only do so if their constitution and principles are not in conflict with the federal party.
00:08:28.560So we're getting a pretty clear idea of what the principles of the federal party are.
00:08:35.440They talk about nationalizing everything from food to building houses to construction companies.
00:08:40.820You want everyone to have a heat pump and take an electric or an EV bus to work.
00:08:46.340So I think it's up to the provincial NDP to talk about how they're going to square the circle.
00:08:51.820If that's his federal policy and they're required to conform with it, what are they going to do to implement it?
00:08:57.320And they can't hide behind we're a different party because they're not.
00:09:00.440They share a constitution. They share a membership.
00:09:02.840So I think that it's pretty clear from Abby Lewis and his activism over the last number of years with the Leap Manifesto,
00:09:09.040which he repeated throughout the entire leadership campaign.
00:09:12.600He wants to end all fossil fuels, and that includes LNG.
00:09:16.280So he's got not just Alberta in the crosshairs. He's also got the British Columbia. He's got Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia who are trying to expand gas development and oil development. So I would say that it's pretty clear what the NDP position is federally. And it is opposed to any development of fossil fuels and any infrastructure that would facilitate it.
00:09:38.920Anyway, you've got Avi Lewis and his wife, Naomi Klein, who's also a lifelong activist,
00:09:45.180and her brother, Seth Klein, is a lifelong activist in BC.
00:26:03.220and I'm sure is very proud of his son right now.
00:26:05.600Now, you're quite right, Ezra, in what you've characterized so far.
00:26:10.420The thing I like about Abbie Lewis is he's a very honest socialist.
00:26:15.460He has all of his thinking is significantly and severely left wing.
00:26:21.080And I think that he may find some audience there.
00:26:23.880He may find even some audience within some of the Liberal Party, which leans significantly socialist, but they don't want to admit it.
00:26:30.780So, you know, I think he's I think he will predict just as I think you predicted a while ago and I predicted about six months ago.
00:26:39.520I thought he would win this race. He did because of his strong ideological stance.
00:26:45.240And I think some people are going to find that attractive.
00:26:48.660You know, I saw a critique of capitalism by a Silicon Valley billionaire the other day.
00:26:53.320He said most young people, their experience with capitalism is student loans that they have trouble paying off.
00:27:00.200and the inability to buy a house because it's so expensive.
00:27:03.840So they have a negative feeling towards capitalism that maybe a generation ago we didn't have.
00:27:09.820A generation ago, we knew freedom and free economies were better.
00:27:14.280And you look around the world and, you know, whether it's Zoran Mamdani,
00:27:18.900who I think can be fairly called a true socialist,
00:27:21.820or even in the UK, the rise of the Green Party, which is socialist,
00:27:26.100I'm worried that there is a trend amongst young people to go full socialist or even communist.
00:27:33.160I mean, some of the policies of Bobby Lewis, the state owning the means of production, that's literally the definition of communism.
00:27:40.200And I think for a lot of young people who can't afford to get ahead, hate the big corporations, can't save for a home of their own, I think they'll find it appealing.
00:32:13.300i just can't i i mean i just don't know how he thinks he's going to get a grocery store 40
00:32:18.680cheaper how well it won't be cheaper but by taxing people raising taxes across the board
00:32:27.520that grocery store chain if it ever comes into being and i would just say heaven help us if it
00:32:32.600does uh that will be groceries products that will be made to look less expensive because he will
00:32:39.820simply tax everybody more across the board he'll take those taxes then and so the true cost let's
00:32:46.920say of landing that loaf of bread in his store let's say it's five dollars the true cost by
00:32:53.560confiscating money from other hard-working people he'll make it three dollars or two dollars he might
00:32:59.820make it one dollar but you always pay more for it somewhere else it's always been a colossal
00:33:05.920failure and he should know i'm sure uh looking at cuba and i've been there doing a mission work
00:33:12.480in cuba they line up there are no groceries uh rum on on the shelves still sells for a dollar
00:33:20.440that's about it everywhere these policies are practiced i went to ukraine in 1993 just when
00:33:27.260the soviet empire was folding long lineups everywhere just for bread this is a disaster
00:33:34.400But young people have not been informed of it. It sounds appealing. And another thing he knows, Ezra, having worked for Al Jazeera, that there is this growing nexus, this growing unhealthy joining of the socialist parties with parties that have significantly Muslim backing.
00:33:55.820We've seen it in the UK, and they wind up knocking out more established parties.