politics
Stephen Lewis, NDP leader and UN advocate for Africa, dies at 88
Stephen Lewis, a charismatic Canadian politician turned diplomat and advocate for Africa and AIDS relief, has died at 88 after a long illness; his son Avi was elected federal NDP leader days before his death.
Apr 1st 2026 · Canada
Insights
- Stephen Lewis died at 88 after an eight year battle with stomach cancer and was in palliative care.
- He led the Ontario New Democratic Party from 1970 to 1978 and took it to Official Opposition status in 1975.
- Brian Mulroney appointed him Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations in 1984 and he served until 1988.
- He was UNICEF deputy executive director from 1995 to 1999 and UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from 2001 to 2006.
- He co-founded the Stephen Lewis Foundation and AIDS-Free World and campaigned publicly against apartheid and for expanded AIDS relief in Africa.
- His son Avi Lewis won the federal NDP leadership and spoke with his father before he died.
Sources
- Stephen Lewis, Canadian politician and social activist, dies aged 88 www.theguardian.com
- OBITUARY: Farewell, Stephen Lewis, the man who shamed the world into seeing Africa's Aids catastrophe www.dailymaverick.co.za
- Human rights advocate Stephen Lewis fought to alleviate suffering in Africa www.theglobeandmail.com
- Stephen Lewis, Leftist Canadian Politician and AIDS Activist, Dies at 88 www.nytimes.com