Lewis Faces Oil Province Backlash, Pushes Green Agenda

0:00It's March 30th. Welcome to Global News Today, powered by AI and Connected Worldwide. Abby Lewis just snagged a leadership of Canada's new Democratic Party on the first ballot this past Sunday. His big push is tackling climate change head-on while fixing affordability for everyday folks. But he's already facing pushback for flat-out rejecting new oil and gas builds. Right off the bat, NDP bosses and oil-rich provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan called his energy views out of touch and unrealistic. They turned down meetups and aired their gripes publicly, highlighting a real split in the party. This drama hits as the NDP licks its wounds for major losses in last year's federal election. Western Canada, where energy jobs dominate, feels the tension most, clashing with Lewis's green agenda. Lewis fired back Monday, saying these fights proved the party's healthy and inclusive. He doubled down on speeding up renewables for a stable economy, blemming global messes like the Israel-Iran conflict for oil-priced chaos.

1:02He met with supportive voices, including Manitoba's Premier and Federal MPs, who say the caucus is fully on board. Canada sits on massive ore reserves, mostly shipped to the U.S., and Prime Minister Mark Carney's betting beg on energy exports to cut trade ties there. Lewis plans to hit the road, rally the base nationwide, and skip grabbing a parliament seat for now, keeping the focus on rebuilding unity.