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Can Avi Lewis’ brand of left-wing populism win over Canadian voters? It’s what he and the NDP are hoping will happen, but as Lewis takes the reins of his party, he’s already causing division.

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He’s fighting with two of the provincial wings of his party and as Pierre Poilievre can tell you, fighting with people who should be on your team can cost you support at the ballot box.

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Lewis won 56% of the vote at the convention in Winnipeg. While he had the support of Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, the leaders of the Alberta and Saskatchewan NDP made it clear they have issues with Lewis and his policies.

Lewis had previously been taken to task for being critical of the Alberta NDP, something its Leader Naheed Nenshi spoke out on after Lewis’ victory.

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“It is clear that the direction of the federal party under this new leader, someone who openly cheered for the defeat of the Alberta NDP government, is not in the interests of Alberta,” Nenshi said.

Split will be a problem for Lewis

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck wrote a letter to Lewis and shared it with media outlets. She chastised Lewis for his opposition to resource development, which would affect Saskatchewan’s oil and gas sector.

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“Your approach has not only taken aim at the resources, but at the people who work in these sectors — and it ignores the realities not only in this province but across the country,” Beck wrote

“The NDP is the party of working people. It’s impossible to support — and respect — working people without respecting the jobs they have, not the ones you think they should have.”

The reason this matters for the NDP as compared to other parties is that according to the party’s constitution, the federal and provincial parties are one unified and federated body. This split is a real problem for Lewis and the NDP moving forward, but for now Lewis is focused on trying to win over voters with his unworkable and populist policies.

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Policies could prove popular to some

Lewis has tapped into one of the top issues in the minds of voters – affordability and the cost of living. While his solutions may be unworkable and economically illiterate, they could prove popular.

To deal with the high cost of groceries, he suggested a government-owned grocery store “using a high-volume, warehouse-style model with subsidized rent and utilities.” Essentially, he wants a Costco type of grocery store that is owned and run by the government and he is claiming he can bring down prices by 30-40%.

That’s impossible given that the profit margin on groceries is 2-4% at best and a government-run store would come with government wages, which are generally about 25% higher on average compared to the private sector for similar jobs.

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Without massive subsidies, there is no way prices would be lower; it would just mean the government is paying for a large portion of your grocery bill.

He wants to do the same for cellphone service and service, he wants a government-run bank operated by Canada Post, he wants to build one million government homes and to establish a government-owned pharmaceutical company, which he claims will lower prices.

Party poised for radical left-hand turn

These ideas have never worked anywhere they have been tried, but that isn’t stopping Lewis from putting them forward and trying to woo voters frustrated with the high cost of living.

Lewis will take the NDP in a radically left-wing direction; this is not the party of Jack Layton, Tom Mulcair or Ed Broadbent.

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He wants to shut down Canada’s oil and gas industry, our most lucrative export, and kill the jobs that go with it. Rather than supporting increased spending for Canada’s military, he wants to cut spending and redirect money to things like heat pumps for all.

Lewis’ NDP will become a party that Canadians reject, that voters run away from. But with his plan for offering free public transit for all and cheaper phone and grocery bills, he may win over enough voters to rescue the party from irrelevance.

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