Stephen Lewis, former Canadian politician and social activist, dies at 88

Former politician and longtime Canadian social activist Stephen Lewis has died.

Lewis, Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations and one-time leader of the NDP in Ontario, was 88.

He is the father of Avi Lewis, who was elected leader of the federal NDP on Sunday.

The Stephen Lewis Foundation announced his death on its website today.

Lewis held multiple posts with the UN after his four-year stint as Canada’s ambassador, including as a special adviser to then secretary-general Kofi Annan, as deputy director of UNICEF and as the UN’s special envoy for HIV-AIDS in Africa.

In 2003, he co-founded the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which as of last year had raised more than $200 million for grassroots organizations fighting AIDS on the ground in Africa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2026.

— with files from Sheryl Ubelacker

The Canadian Press