Stephen Lewis signs autographs as he leaves the stage after the closing ceremonies of the 16th World Aids Conference in Toronto in 2006.Aaron Harris/The Canadian Press
Prominent Canadian humanitarian Stephen Lewis died this week at the age of 88. Mr. Lewis, the former leader of the Ontario NDP, spent decades fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the United Nations and through his own foundation.
Throughout his life travelling the country and beyond, Mr. Lewis made an impact on many Canadians over the years. Earlier this week, we asked Globe readers that met Mr. Lewis to share what they learned from the experience. Here are some highlights.
Human rights advocate Stephen Lewis fought to alleviate suffering in Africa
Jennifer Chapin, Victoria: I remember listening to a talk Stephen Lewis gave in Vancouver on social justice. In the audience was Thomas Berger, who was a former head of the NDP in B.C. and a former B.C. Justice of the Supreme Court. He and Stephen Lewis were the best of friends and I heard Thomas Berger once say that Stephen was the most eloquent and articulate speaker in the world.
I agree. His passion, his unrelenting commitment to social justice and human rights moved me deeply and, on that night, the message was articulated in such a manner that I remember it to this day. Both Stephen Lewis and Thomas Berger were mentors for me, a fledgling political science student at the time, in so many ways.
Mr. Lewis, then the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, reads a story to children at the Centennial College daycare centre in 1977.Dennis Robinson/The Globe and Mail
San Patten, Halifax: Ever since I started working in the HIV field in 1996, Stephen Lewis was a guiding light and a personal hero. He’s one of the truly good human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. In the short time I spent with him, he offered me the opportunity to work with his foundation and it turned out to be some of the most rewarding years of my working life. I met him a couple more times at International AIDS conferences and he always greeted me with warmth and genuine interest, despite me being one of many who clambered to express their appreciation for him.
Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for inspiring those who were lucky enough to hear you speak to be better humans and to care about people on the other side of the world. You were a force!
Richard Ross, Hamilton: I have never agreed with most of Mr. Lewis’s politics but I still consider him to be one of the finest and most impressive people that I have ever encountered. My memories of him originated at my Grade 12 graduation ceremony when he, as a newly elected and very young MPP, was the speaker. He spoke passionately concerning the need for social justice in the world and the opportunity my class had to participate, as adults, in the quest for that justice. He urged us to take on this challenge as our duty and a challenge for our generation.
By the end of his speech, I was in awe of this man. His passion, wit and intelligence were overwhelming for 16-year-old me. I had never heard anything like it. We have lost a great Canadian, a great citizen of the world, and one of our finest human beings. The world is a poorer place today.
Mr. Lewis visits Zambia in December, 2002, in his role as UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.Stephanie Nolen/The Globe and Mail
Gavin Kennedy, Peterborough, Ont.: I was a young page at the Ontario Legislature when he was the leader of the NDP. His compassionate articulation of the needs of Ontarians shaped my political views. I will always remember his empathy and compassion for the people. I have held that as the gold standard for all political leaders since then.
Peggie Graham, Bridgewater, N.S.: In the late ‘70s, I was a reporter for a small southwestern Ontario daily when I was assigned to follow Stephen Lewis around as he visited various places in the region. It was a memorable day. Seeing him greeting people, without handlers smoothing the way, listening intently to their concerns and opinions, and effortlessly meeting them where they were. From vendors at a farmers’ market to party faithfuls who showed up to see their leader, he was open, friendly and naturally charming, beaming his wonderful smile at everyone. We have lost a great one.
Mr. Lewis leads a group of NDP election candidates in annual Labour Day Parade in Toronto in 1975.John McNeill/The Globe and Mail
Pamela Hatton, Ottawa: I had the privilege of hearing Stephen Lewis speak to a small group of McGill students in 2005, while I was completing my MSc. His eloquence and conviction in addressing the global HIV/AIDS crisis were both humbling and inspiring. He spoke with moral clarity about the responsibility of wealthy nations to do more in the face of profound inequity.
What stayed with me, beyond the power of his remarks, was his belief in more equitable societies. At the time, his focus on the structural roots of inequality felt prescient; today, it feels undeniable.
His legacy endures not only in what he accomplished, but in the standard he set – a call for all of us to do better, and to build a kinder world.
Mary Anne Caputo, Windsor: Stephen Lewis was an advocate for health workers as their rep on a bargaining team I was on in Windsor, Ont. He was a man of great intellect and integrity. I will never forget how kind and thoughtful he was about how to approach each issue we faced as we negotiated with the Ontario government at that time.
He was respected and held in great esteem by the people of Ontario. How sad to hear of his passing. A truly great man.
Former politician and social activist Stephen Lewis has died at the age of 88. Lewis spent a lifetime fighting for causes close to his heart – and his weapons of choice were words.
The Canadian Press
David Kilgour, Sudbury, Ont.: I was news editor at The Gazette at Western University in the mid-’80s, and I had the chance to cover a speech by Stephen Lewis. He was a titan of Canadian politics, so you’d expect him to give a student reporter five minutes before being whisked away by his handlers. Instead, he stayed. He hung back and gave me his undivided attention, answering every single one of my questions with a genuine, eager energy.
But the thing that really stuck with me wasn’t the policy talk – it was a story he told me about his wife, Michele Landsberg.
Michele was being honoured by Western’s MA Journalism program with a Gold Medal. At the time, Stephen was at the height of his political career as the leader of the Ontario NDP, but for this dinner, he was strictly there as the “plus-one.”
He’d arrived at this very formal, very prestigious dinner and found his seat right next to the guest of honour. He looked down at the official placecard, and instead of “The Honourable Stephen Lewis,” it simply read: Mr. Landsberg.
He absolutely loved it. He had this great laugh about the whole thing, dryly noting that Western wasn’t exactly a hotbed for the NDP back then. It was a classic Lewis moment – finding the humour in a little institutional shade and being perfectly happy to take a backseat to his wife’s success.
Opinion: Stephen Lewis: a man of moral vision
Tim O’Shea, Hamilton: I met Mr. Lewis for the first time in 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya, at a conference on HIV. At the time I was a newly graduated medical doctor. Mr. Lewis took the time to talk and offer encouragement. Amazingly, when I met him several years later, he immediately remembered me by name. Throughout my career I have been inspired by his example of a life lived according to a core set of values without compromise. For many years, when faced with a moral dilemma I would ask myself “what would Stephen Lewis do.” He will be profoundly missed.
Cinda Martin, Fergus, Ont.: In August of 2006, I was fortunate to have attended the first Grandmother to Grandmother Gathering. The Stephen Lewis Foundation brought together 100 grandmothers from Africa and 200 grandmothers from across Canada. His heart and voice were a call to action and a movement was born.
My special memory is seeing him in the middle of African grandmothers who were dancing and singing. It was spontaneous, loud and joyful. He joined in and was at one with them with voice and arms waving in the air. It was extraordinary and my world opened up in ways I never had imagined. I am forever grateful that I too joined in.
Thank you Stephen. We are all the better for having you.
Mr. Lewis speaks to Mississauga students and staff on their first day of school in 2006.Tibor Kolley/The Globe and Mail
Marissa Taylor, Toronto: Stephen was a mentor of mine, and it is so sad that we have lost such an amazing champion. I first met him in McMaster University in my Masters year – he was my professor in 2009. When I finally plucked up the courage to meet him for office hours, he encouraged me to dream about a career in international development and coached me to apply for an NGO internship in India, which I did.
Later in my Masters year I started working at the Stephen Lewis Foundation – first as a volunteer then later as staff – working on the Grassroots Exchange Platform. It was my first job in the sector. I later went on to serve other NGOs working in more than 25 countries before coming back to Canada to work for the Pembina Institute, a clean energy think tank.
Stephen was a force, and also a very humble person. He started out his lecture to the classroom by saying, “You are my peers – in fact many of you have a higher education than I was able to attain.” This statement was one of the many powerful ways that he used to create an environment not based on hierarchy but rather human experiences. He taught me to be more critical. I was lucky to have known him, and he will be missed.
Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.