Leslyn Lewis (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 the 2015 federal election 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 has stated that she would like to make marijuana access more restrictive and that she thinks reactions to climate change are overblown "in some respects". She has publicly described herself as "pro-life, no hidden agenda" and as leader would have the Conservative Party move to ban sex-selective abortion and coerced abortion, increase government funding for crisis pregnancy centres (which provide alternatives to abortion), and she would end foreign aid funding for abortion. Her candidacy has been endorsed by anti-abortion advocacy groups including the Campaign Life Coalition.
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.