Naheed Nenshi’s apology shows who really controls the modern NDP
The party once built by workers now caters to campus radicals, activist NGOs and anti-Israel politics, with Naheed Nenshi's apology over a photo with the Israeli ambassador providing the latest example.
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Article by Rebel News staff
Tonight on The Ezra Levant Show: Naheed Nenshi’s apology over a photo with Israel’s ambassador reveals the growing influence of anti-Israel activists, the transformation of the NDP and the new forces reshaping the modern left.
Naheed Nenshi was once known as a political bridge-builder. Now, the Alberta NDP leader is apologising for appearing in a photo with Israel’s ambassador at a Calgary Stampede event.
What was once a routine act of diplomacy has become politically toxic. After the image went viral, Nenshi said he was “so sorry for the harm it caused” and echoed many of the talking points pushed by anti-Israel activists, accusing Israel of violating international law and highlighting civilian deaths in Gaza and Lebanon.
A message from Naheed Nenshi pic.twitter.com/VARwsRW20Q
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) July 16, 2026
The episode reveals a much larger transformation taking place inside the modern left.
The New Democratic Party was originally built around farmers, factory workers and organised labour. It was a party rooted in the concerns of working people.
But that political base has changed. Across North America, the centre of gravity of the left has moved away from unions and toward universities, activist groups and identity-based movements.
The result is a more confrontational politics shaped by the idea that society is divided into oppressors and oppressed. When politics becomes a moral battle between good and evil, compromise becomes impossible. The goal is no longer persuasion, but defeating the enemy.
That is the environment Nenshi now finds himself navigating.
Canada's Muslim Brotherhood front group is very pleased with Naheed Nenshi.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) July 16, 2026
Just like the Chinese Communist Party is.
We know the CCP has given financial benefits to Nenshi.
Has the Muslim Brotherhood? https://t.co/24o3s5xXXr
Alberta’s Muslim population has grown significantly, with more than 200,000 Muslims recorded in the 2021 census and likely more today. Danielle Smith won the last provincial election by fewer than 150,000 votes. For a party looking to rebuild, those numbers matter.
Combine that with the NDP’s traditional base of government unions, progressive activists, university students and NGOs, and the political incentives become clear.
The same shift is happening federally.
Avi Lewis, the federal NDP leader, represents a dramatic change from previous generations of the party. His father and grandfather were NDP leaders who supported Israel. Lewis has taken a far more aggressive position, becoming one of Canada’s most outspoken critics of Israel.
Under Lewis, the NDP has doubled its vote from the six-per-cent result of the last election. A major part of that resurgence has come from embracing the activist politics dominating parts of the modern left.
The same pattern is visible in the United States, where figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have embraced a more radical political agenda centred around anti-capitalism, identity politics and revolutionary rhetoric.
For many activists, Gaza has become the defining cause of this new movement, replacing issues that once dominated the left such as unions, economic policy and even climate change.
That is why Nenshi’s apology matters.
In his statement, Nenshi referenced what he described as Israel’s actions in Gaza, including famine, civilian deaths and bombing in Lebanon. He claimed at least 20,000 children had been killed and said southern Lebanon was being bombed as part of a “sustained campaign.”
But critics point out what was missing: any mention of Hamas’ October 7 attack, the Israelis murdered and taken hostage, or Hezbollah’s role in southern Lebanon.
The criticism is especially sharp given Nenshi’s repeated trips to Communist China, including a visit to Tiananmen Square, while now lecturing others about human rights and international law.
The broader issue is not just one photo or one apology. It is the transformation of the political movement Nenshi now leads.
The old left was built around workers, unions and economic issues. The new left is increasingly shaped by campus activism, identity politics and a worldview that divides society into oppressors and oppressed.
Nenshi’s apology is a reflection of that shift.
Whether or not he personally holds anti-Israel or antisemitic views, critics argue he is leading a party increasingly shaped by those forces.
And politically, he appears willing to follow where they lead.
COMMENTS
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Marilyn Hagerman commented 2026-07-17 14:33:21 -0400 FlagAn undisputed huge danger John! Canada is a Christian country based in Christian values since it became a country many years ago. You would never see a Christian singing the praises of Christianity in a Muslim country. Likewise, Christian’s have no desire, need, or tolerance for Muslim Islamic worship being shoved down our throats in Canada!!!! If they want to live here, then abide our rules. That’s what we would have to do in a Muslim country!!!! -
John Van Vliet commented 2026-07-17 11:19:58 -0400 FlagNaheed Nenshi is a Muslim, and he has to be accountable to the V Canada Muslim Brotherhood; this creates a huge problem for Canada. In Alberta, 200,000 Muslims will create a huge problem in the future, as we have seen everywhere in the West, that after they have located and started enforcing the Muslim Ideology, the quest for the Call to Prayer in a Manitoba city and praying on the streets, in violation of Canadian law. Many will tell me you are a racist, but no, it is the ideology of Islam as written in the Hadiths and Shariah law that is the driver for Islam and conflicts with Western democracy.
I also may note that Muslims will lie to further the cause of Islam. Nenshi would be a danger to our democracy!! -
Silver Feet commented 2026-07-17 00:00:20 -0400 FlagMarilyn Alberta doesn’t currently control immigration (and a thousand other important aspects of society) but I find comfort and inspiration from this section in the value of freedom document “4. Retroactive Screening of Pre-Citizenship Individuals” In an independent Alberta this will remigrate all post 2015 immigrants who had no sound qualifications to be in Alberta (previously a colony of Canada which allowed this mass immigration to occur) back to the rest of Canada/world. I believe this fraudulent group of mass immigration will not even submit their application to stay in Alberta because they know they would not have qualified in the first place so they will self deport to the rest of Canada/world, good riddins!
In many issues including mass immigration, Alberta Independence is the only thing that can save our society from the evil parasite that currently subdues it. -
Marilyn Hagerman commented 2026-07-16 22:25:16 -0400 FlagWhy is Alberta allowing more than 200,000 Muslims recorded in the 2021 census and likely more today into this province? How many have been thoroughly vetted? What’s their reason for being here? What skills do they bring that will enhance our country? Islamic hatred of Jews and Christians and their goal to rid the world of these two groups runs very strong in the minds of Muslims – they are taught this hatred as children in school. Both Avi Lewis and Nenshi embrace the activist politics dominating parts of the “modern left” better known as Marxism!
Nenshi openly describes Israel’s actions in Gaza, including famine, civilian deaths and bombing in Lebanon, claiming at least 20,000 children had been killed and said southern Lebanon was being bombed as part of a “sustained campaign.”His stunning omission
of Hamas’ October 7 attack, the Israelis murdered and taken hostage, the stomach turning tortures, rapes and beheading by Hezbollah – this should be a dire warning to all Albertans what Nenshi, Lewis and all these Muslims hold dear, what their plans include! Nenshi is also a big fan and supporter of Beijing!
All readers need to be aware that all NATO countries are in full agreement (this supposedly includes Canada) that Iran’s funding of Hezbollah and other terrorist Middle East groups must end – that ayatollah-run Iran must cease to be! Separation does not, and will not, rid Alberta of this Islamic/communist devoted leadership. Albertans that support the influx of these Muslims, that think Nenshi is a good choice will come to regret such asinine unsupported thinking. -
Paul Scofield commented 2026-07-16 20:40:27 -0400 FlagFear porn from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor. That figures.
