Leslyn Lewis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslyn Lewis MP
Lewis in 2020
Member of Parliament for Haldimand—Norfolk
Incumbent
Assumed office September 20, 2021
Preceded by	Diane Finley
Personal details
Born	(1970-12-02) December 2, 1970 (age 54) Saint Andrew, Surrey, Jamaica
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Conservative
Education	Trinity College, Toronto (BA) York University (MES, JD, PhD)
Occupation	Politician lawyer

Leslyn Lewis MP (born December 2, 1970) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Haldimand—Norfolk since 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, Lewis contested the party leadership in the 2020 leadership election, placing third. She was the first visible minority woman to run for the federal Conservative Party leadership. Lewis was also a candidate in the 2022 Conservative leadership election, coming in third overall. She is known for her socially conservative views.

Early life and education

Born in Jamaica, she immigrated to Canada at age five and grew up in East York, Ontario.

Lewis graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with high distinction from the University of Toronto as a student of Trinity College. She also holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University with a concentration in business and environment from the Schulich School of Business, and a law degree and PhD in international law from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Legal career

Lewis has practiced law since approximately 2000 and is the managing partner of Lewis Law in Scarborough, specializing in commercial litigation and international trade practice, with a focus on energy policy. She has hosted the television show Law Matters.

In 2018 she was appointed by the province of Ontario to the board of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and was later named to the foundation's committee responsible for dispensing funds for youth programs.

In May 2019 she was awarded a Harry Jerome Award for Professional Excellence by the Black Business and Professional Association.

Politics

2015 federal election

Lewis began her political career in the riding of Markham—Stouffville, where she was vice president and a primary fundraiser of the Conservative electoral district association while Paul Calandra was MP.

In 2015, Conservative leader Stephen Harper appointed her as a replacement candidate to run the riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park only a few weeks before the vote after the previous Conservative candidate had been forced to withdraw following a scandal. An article in the National Post referred to Lewis as a “high-quality substitute". She placed second to Liberal candidate Gary Anandasangaree, receiving 13,587 votes.

2020 Conservative Party leadership candidate

In February 2020, Lewis was confirmed as an official leadership contestant for the Conservative Party of Canada, following the resignation of Andrew Scheer as leader in December 2019. Had she been successful, she would have been the first visible minority woman to lead any of the three major federal Canadian parties.

Her platform was described as socially conservative. While she considers conversion therapy "an atrocious thing", she raised concerns about the Canadian government's proposed ban, citing an unclear definition that risks penalizing conversations with parents or religious leaders. She stated that while she personally defines marriage as between a man and a woman, she would not roll back existing legislation redefining marriage in Canada. .....

She opposed carbon taxes and supports promoting green technology as an alternative policy.

Despite Lewis leading the second ballot on the popular vote, she was eliminated after placing third in points.

2021 federal election and 44th Parliament

On August 25, 2020, Lewis announced that she would be running for a seat in the House of Commons in an undisclosed riding in the 2021 Canadian federal election. On September 15, 2020, she formally announced that she would be seeking the Conservative nomination in Haldimand—Norfolk. She was acclaimed as the Conservative candidate in the riding the next month. On September 20, 2021, Lewis won the seat for the Conservative Party in the 2021 Canadian federal election.

Following the election, Lewis stated her opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates for MPs and questioned COVID-19 vaccines for children. Her position may have caused her to be omitted from the Conservative shadow cabinet. As CBC reported the matter, "Notably absent from the critics' list are MPs who have voiced opposition to COVID-19 vaccine policies."

2022 Conservative Party leadership candidate

Lewis announced on March 8, 2022, that she would again run for the leadership of the Conservative Party. ..... On September 10, 2022, Lewis lost to Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre on the first ballot, garnering 9.69% of the vote.

Infrastructure Critic

In October 2022, Lewis was appointed to Poilievre's shadow cabinet as infrastructure critic.

In November 2022, Lewis announced the relaunch of the Canadian Israel Allies Caucus. Lewis is presently serving as the chair of the caucus. The caucus is a member of the Israel Allies Foundation.

In February 2023, Lewis, along with fellow Conservative MPs Colin Carrie and Dean Allison, had dinner with Christine Anderson, a Member of the European Parliament representing Alternative for Germany, who was on a Canadian tour of right-wing media and convoy protest supporters. The meeting was condemned by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among others, for Anderson and AfD's Islamophobic and antisemitic positions. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre also denounced Anderson's views as "vile", racist, and said that "it would be better if Anderson never visited Canada in the first place". The three MPs released a joint-statement saying that while meetings with foreign elected officials are ordinary, they were unaware of her or her party's views, and that they condemned racist and hateful views. Christine Anderson has, however, denied Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s claim that the three Conservtive MPs involved had no information about her politics before they met her. Lewis harshly responded to the criticism in an article published in the Toronto Sun.

Electoral record

2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership results by ballot

Candidate		1st ballot				2nd ballot				3rd ballot
		Votes cast	%	Points allocated	%	Votes cast	%	Points allocated	%	Votes cast	%	Points allocated	%
	Erin O'Toole	51,258	29.39%	10,681.40	31.60%	56,907	33.20%	11,903.69	35.22%	90,635	58.86%	19,271.74	57.02%
	Peter MacKay	52,851	30.30%	11,328.55	33.52%	54,165	31.60%	11,756.01	34.78%	63,356	41.14%	14,528.26	42.98%
	Leslyn Lewis	43,017	24.67%	6,925.38	20.49%	60,316	35.20%	10,140.30	30.00%	Eliminated
	Derek Sloan	27,278	15.64%	4,864.67	14.39%	Eliminated
Total		174,404	100%	33,800	100%	171,388	100%	33,800	100%	153,991	100%	33,800	100%