Stephen Lewis

Stephen Henry Lewis was a voice for the voiceless, a champion of social justice whose eloquence and moral clarity transformed lives across continents. Born in Ottawa on November 11, 1937—Armistice Day—to Sophie and David Lewis, he was given the Hebrew name "Sholem," meaning peace, a fitting harbinger of the work that would define his life. At nineteen, Lewis debated future U.S. President John F. Kennedy at the University of Toronto's Hart House, holding his own against the charismatic politician. Though Kennedy won narrowly, Lewis's performance was considered the evening's highlight. His formal education remained incomplete—he left university without a degree and dropped out of law school twice—but his real education came from traveling across Africa in the early 1960s, teaching English in Ghana and witnessing the continent's struggles and promise. In 1963, Lewis married journalist Michele Landsberg and was elected to the Ontario Legislature at age twenty-six. He led the Ontario NDP from 1970 to 1978, becoming the first NDP Leader of the Official Opposition in over two decades. Though he never won government, his advocacy brought working-class struggles to the forefront, leading to rent control and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Remarkably, his father David simultaneously led the federal NDP, making them one of the first father-son teams to head Canadian political parties concurrently. After leaving politics, Lewis's international work became his defining legacy. As Canada's UN Ambassador, then as UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director, and most significantly as the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from 2001 to 2006, he brought unprecedented attention to the pandemic devastating African communities. In 2003, with his daughter Ilana, he co-founded the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which has raised over $200 million for grassroots organizations fighting HIV/AIDS. Lewis received 42 honorary doctorates, was named Companion of the Order of Canada, and listed among Time magazine's 100 most influential people. He passed away peacefully in Toronto on March 31, 2026, at age eighty-eight, two days after his son Avi was elected leader of the federal NDP, surrounded by his beloved wife Michele, daughters Ilana and Jenny, and sister Janet.