OTTAWA — NDP Leader Avi Lewis says Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu’s defection from the Conservatives to the Liberals shows why Canada still needs the NDP to be a progressive voice in Parliament.

Lewis says Gladu is by all accounts “a very nice person with extreme social conservative views” and her addition to the Liberal caucus raises the question of whether it’s still a progressive party.

Lewis, who does not have a seat in the House of Commons, says his party will outline a set of proposals on Monday “laser focused” on the cost of living, particularly the price of groceries.

Lewis says he plans to spend next week in Ottawa, when the House is scheduled to reconvene after a two-week break, before beginning to travel the country to rebuild the NDP from the ground up.

Lewis decisively won the NDP leadership last month on the first ballot, nearly doubling the vote count of his closest rival, Alberta MP Heather McPherson.

Just days after his victory, Lewis’ father, former diplomat and Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis, died after a lengthy illness.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press